Imagining an Archipelago: Art from Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Their Diasporas
The exhibition is on view at the Colby Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, until June 6, 2027.
Correctional Faith by Gamaliel Rodríguez, 2022. Colby College Museum of Art.
Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico share many commonalities: beautiful land, sea, mountains, Indigenous people, rich history, strong spirituality, abundant resources, and U.S. occupation, colonization, and exploitation. On view until June 6, 2027, at the Colby Museum, Imagining an Archipelago: Art from Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Their Diasporas delves into almost 50 contemporary artworks by 41 artists.
Through paintings, sculptures, videos, prints, films, weavings, assemblages, photographs, and multimedia installations, each artist confronts themes and social issues these archipelagic lands face, including climate change, military occupation, cultural erasure, cultural preservation, protest, solidarity, healing, and joy.
Guam Political and Puerto Rico Political II by Amber Robles-Gordon, 2021. Colby College Museum of Art.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Zilia Sánchez, Carlos Villa, Pacita Abad, Ana Mendieta, Daniel Lind-Ramos, Juan Sánchez, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Juana Valdés, Teresita Fernández, Edra Soto, Miguel Luciano, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, Stephanie Syjuco, Amber Robles-Gordon, Maia Cruz Palileo, Martha Atienza, Mariquita “Micki” Davis, Enzo Camacho & Ami Lien, Isa Gagarin, Camille Hoffman, Gisela McDaniel, and more.
The late nineteenth century was a significant period for these archipelagos as they fought for independence in the lead-up to the 1898 Treaty of Paris. During this time, the United States took control of these countries from Spain. To this day, Puerto Rico and Guam are still under the U.S.’s control. After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. also occupied Cuba. Curated by Jessamine Batario, Imagining an Archipelago challenges both the past and present impacts these countries and territories have faced due to colonization.
Lunar negro con tatuaje by Zilia Sánchez, 1975. Colby College Museum of Art.
Though these islands are thousands of miles apart and separated by oceans, they share similar histories, injustices, frameworks, and resilience of those who came before and after them. The artists throughout Imagining an Archipelago present their interconnectedness through critique and how they navigate these constant changes.
Imagining an Archipelago is a traveling exhibition. While it’s at the Colby Museum until June 6, 2027, it will be at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico from August 20, 2027, to February 6, 2028, San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts from March 17, 2028, to August 18, 2028, and Newark Museum of Art from September 28, 2028, to February 18, 2029. You can also preorder the book here.
