4 Latino Art + Culture Exhibitions in 2017

Amid the tension of the current political climate, art may seem a visually pleasing escape. These shows prove that is true, while going far beyond escapism to honest exploration of cultural heritage.

These exhibitions reflect on and explore the political landscapes in the Caribbean and Mexico. They may also be seen as necessary tools for perspective and inspiration for those of us living in the U.S. this year.

Welcome to Cuba at the American Museum of Natural History

The Welcome to Cuba Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History explores the enticing Cuban landscape through its caves, reefs, national park, and wetlands. The exhibition lures you into an authentic experience of walking through the streets of Havana and Santiago de Cuba, eating in a paladar and drinking guarapo from a juice stand. It will teach you that Cuban history is partly African, through the practice of an Afro-Cuban religion—but it’s not all so serious. The show also emphasized that Cuba most assuredly produces some of the best cigars in the world. Runs through August 13, 2017

Beatriz Santiago Muñoz: A Universe of Fragile Mirrors at El Museo de Barrio

A traveling exhibition organized by the Pérez Art Museum Miami, A Universe of Fragile Mirrors, now at El Museo del Barrio, is a compilation of continuously played films and videos. The exhibit shows the conditions of Haiti and Puerto Rico after colonialism. Runs through April 30, 2017

Luis Tapia: Cada mente es un mundo at molaa

The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California presents a solo exhibition dedicated to works of Chicano artist Luis Tapia. Tapia has used wooden sculptures as a way to narrate the social and political landscape of Latinos, Hispanics, and Chicanos. His work brings to light the complex and multilayered cultures and histories of the people he depicts. Runs through September 3, 2017.

Upcoming exhibitions:

Dreamland: A Frank Romero Retrospective from February 12 to May 21, 2017

Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nikolas Muray from April 29 to September 3, 2017

Cuban and Mexican Exhibitions at Tampa Museum of Art

The Tampa Museum of Art has two current exhibitions from Cuban and Mexican artists, both running through Sunday, February 5, 2017.

In collaboration with the Bronx Museum of Arts, Complicated Beauty: Contemporary Cuban Art exhibits 40 works by 25+ artists of Cuban work from the 1970s to present which examine Cuban identity and its history.

The solo exhibition Manuel Carrillo: Mi Querido Mexico showcases 30 of Manuel’s photographs capturing a span of twenty years from the late 1950s to the 1970s. These images tell the story of his home country in a time when there was extreme cultural shifting.