Cuban Cigars, Culture & Lifestyle: Bienal de La Habana (Zona Franca La Cabaña) Havana

Friday, 12 June 2015

Bienal de La Habana (Zona Franca La Cabaña) Havana

For those of you who don't know, the Bienal de La Habana is an Art Exhibition that takes place twice a year in Havana and is shown in every nook and cranny the city has to offer. The Artists come from all over the world as well as from the USA but of course the highest concentration are Cubans. I had read about it on many occasions and was even gifted a very large book from the 9th edition showing all the works that were on display that year in 2006. When I say every space available, I mean everywhere; sides of buildings, in the Havana Bay, on the side of the street, on the Malecon (this year), old factories and of course pretty much every museum or art gallery. Bienal, translated, means every other year. However, this edition (12) was suppose to take place last year....I didn't find out until after I had booked my trip at that time. I wasn't going to miss it this year and I'm elated I didn't. The pictures below are just a fraction of what we were able to see at the La Cabaña fortress that's across the Havana Bay. We had no idea of how many artists were represented and couldn't come close to visiting all the spaces. If we would have know ahead of time, we wouldn't have come here the day before my return to Canada. This was a place to spend an entire day with a long lunch break in-between. There was too much to see in the 2-3 hours that we were able to dedicate to this venue. Having had some disappointments at some other spots in the city, we had no idea that we would find this treasure trove. If you are on your way down to Havana and intend on visiting some of the galleries for this reason, I suggest you go straight here and you may not need to go anywhere else after that. I believe there are also some artists on display at the Morro fortress but I think you should begin with the Cabaña side first.
For lunch I suggest a spot down the street where Beyonce and Jay-Z had a meal when they visited Havana last year....."Doña Carmela". I'll post a review for the restaurant another time but for now I can say we had an excellent meal here (it's within walking distance, the ribs are excellent).