Each painting in my collection has a story behind it and I cannot and would not pick out any single one: all of them are part of my life, a part of myself. With this site, I would like to open up to you a bit and to share with you things that interested and fascinated me for the last ten years, to make you aware of my exciting experience, my territory of joy and freedom.
The world was horrified by the scale of the disaster that hit the Indian Ocean in December 2004. A giant wave swept across the coast of South East Asia, causing devastation and loss of life on its way. Cuban artist Humberto Díaz admits that, as a man with an apocalyptic way of thinking, he was shocked by the event and totally engrossed in it.
Artists tend to be people of a delicate mindset and a very susceptible nature. Also, creative people know that translating their emotional experiences into a tangible form helps alleviate or even completely relieves stress. For Humberto, an art object in the form of a terrifying wave has become a cherished dream and an expression of a physical need at the same time.
Tsunami, a huge installation of 800 square metres and 7.5 metres high, set up at one of the Havana Biennial venues, made a stunning impression and provoked heated discussions among viewers. At some point, we were approached by a young man who came forward to answer our questions. It was Humberto Díaz, the designer of the installation. He told us how the idea had been born, and how he had been thrilled with it for four years, noting, however, that his vision never got fully realised.
Do you remember having completely implausible dreams? They may not seem unrealistic while you are asleep, and only after waking up you are surprised at how that is even possible. After a long time agonising over the choice of a material that could adequately convey all the strength and power of the ocean wave, Humberto once saw himself on the crest of a wave of ceramic roof tiles. When he woke up, he realised that this was exactly what his installation should look like. According to the artist, the combination of a menacing form of a wave with a material that symbolises shelter and protection enhances the image of an all-destroying power.
Turning a fantasy dream into reality is not an easy task. Due to safety concerns, the Havana Biennial administration disallowed the use of heavy ceramic tiles in an art object. Rather than giving up his dream altogether, Humberto compromised on making the installation out of custom-made polystyrene plates shaped and painted as roof tiles.
The artist's inspiration was not lost on us; Humberto's dream became our dream too. Thrilled with the prospect of setting up the Tsunami installation in St Petersburg, I was able to secure financial support from Raivis, to get approval for the project to participate in the St Petersburg International Biennial, and even to negotiate a sponsorship from a manufacturer of ceramic tiles. At one point, I thought I mostly succeeded in my efforts, but how naive I was.
A pencil sketch, then a detailed design, experiments with materials and finally the calculations performed by Humberto seemed almost magical to me. Then I had to get more actively involved in the process. We had to not only purchase an estimated 18 tons of tiles and 5 thousand square metres of cardboard along with a large quantity of accessory building materials and to deliver those to the Manège Central Exhibition Hall, but also to arrange for the construction of this giant structure while meeting all stability and safety requirements. We had less than two weeks to do all this.
The last tile to top off the crest of a five and a half metre wave, that unfolded over 700 square metres in the entrance hall of the Manège, was placed by Humberto in the beginning of August 2009, just two hours before the official opening time of the Biennial. Words cannot describe how many sleepless nights and how much emotional and physical effort and commitment it took us to complete the job. The tsunami wave that grew before our eyes was probably the best reflection of the tremendous energy that grew in us to realise this idea. As Humberto precisely phrased it, we’d had “a great opportunity to perceive all the power of natural forces through the material object created with our hands”. This artistic exercise allowed us to gain insight into the force of nature, pass over fear, and appreciate the beauty hidden behind the destructive power and threat of disaster.
I would like to finish off by expressing our endless gratitude to those people who were with us at this important and very challenging moment in our lives. First of all our thanks go to the volunteers who came forward to cut out cardboard waves, fasten plastic profiles that supported tiles on the surface of the structure, and lay tiles. The volunteers included all three generations of my family, most of my friends, friends of my friends, friends of friends of my friends and just people willing to lend us a hand. It should be noted too that social media networks were not nearly as widespread at that time as they are now. People joined us answering the call of their hearts, attracted by the grand idea and stimulated by the power and energy of the artist’s inspiration.
