Ongoing
presentations of Liborio Quiere Escapar (Liborio Wants to
Escape), a new
performance/video/ installation by MHC visiting artist Leandro Soto,
will take place December 10 at Rooke Theatre from 1 to 3 pm and from
8 to 10 pm. This new work explores social issues in an artistic
context by addressing present circumstances related to Cuba, its
diaspora, and the emotions associated with survival and nostalgia.
"The work is based on retaking a
character from Cuban popular culture named Liborio," says Soto.
Liborio represents the Cuban people and their interest in questioning
the social and political realities of the island." This character
first appeared as a comic strip in Cuban newspapers in 1905,
sometimes conversing with another famous caricature of the
time--Uncle Sam. As a result of the Cuban diaspora, Liborio made his
way to Miami, where his continuous questioning and pondering has made
him a dissident of any official discourse.
Liborio Wants to
Escape is a
performance/commentary in which Liborio, in a whimsical and sometimes
hilarious way, metamorphoses himself in order to survive--having
always as a background the historical and political relations between
the U.S .and Cuba. The artist experiments with masks, images,
movements, and music, avoiding verbal language and using new
possibilities of expression provided by multimedia and
interdisciplinary components.
Soto has been invited to present
Liborio Wants to
Escape as part of the
Barcelona City celebration in Spain in June 2000 and in the Timba
Alternative Space in Miami, Florida, in January 2000.
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