This exhibition of work by Kadir Lopez Nieves utilizes vintage, 1950’s marketing signs from American companies that were a part of the “pre-Castro” Cuban cityscape.  They evidence the close ties that existed between Cuba and the United States during this era. Most of the signs recovered were burned or shot at by the rebels upon their arrival in Havana in 1959. These signs were soon banned altogether, as symbols of capitalism, by Castro’s revolutionaries in the early 1960’s.

Several years ago, the artist began purchasing the discarded signs from scrap yards and independent sellers throughout Cuba. After researching the background history of these remaining signs, Kadir collaged them with archival photo-images from this era. Many of the photographic images are of the time period and location from which the signs were taken. Others provide a snapshots of  Havana which often foreshadow the tumultuous events about to take place.