Future Perfect

The horrors of war, totalitarian governments, and political dissent are the minefield of expression in this multimedia exhibit where more than a dozen artists tackle repressive regimes through imagery aspiring to a subversive wallop. Cuban artist Antuan Riguez's installation, Left, Right, features rows of heavy red punching bags hanging from the gallery's rafters; plastered across the bags are the leering mugs of democratically elected world leaders, tyrants, terrorists, and dictators. The familiar portraits depict figures ranging from George W. Bush to Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Daniel Ortega, and Osama Bin Laden, presumably strung up as targets for the viewer to jab. Alejandro Mendoza's installation depicts a life-size sculpted wooden monkey perched on a soaring ladder. The primate dangles from a leafless tree branch next to a gray, bed-sheet-size Cuban flag. Both artists' works are among the most powerful on display in the tightly curated if somewhat regional show that also includes works by Pablo Trejo, Juan-Si González, Maritza Molina, Ramon Williams, Cesar Beltran, Mariano Costa-Peuser, Nelson Garrido, and others. Organizers would have made a stronger statement by casting a wider net for more international participation rather that hewing to a local lineup of the usual suspects.
Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon. Starts: Oct. 21. Continues through Nov. 6, 2010