Roc Blackblock in Cuba

Catalan artist Roc Blackblock has recently visited Cojimar in Eastern Havana, Cuba as part of a “muralist expedition”

The #colorCojimar project is the initiative that led Roc to Cuba. The initiative has also seen Greta McLain, a muralist at Goodspacemurals (Minnesota, USA) and Pablo Kalaka, a Chilean-Venezuelan muralist visit the country. 

The project was part of an extensive process of dignifying public space through the murals. Organised and self-managed by the local collective “Guarida de Sueños” and working with the whole community, other branches of this project have been cleaning the beaches, creating leisure spaces for young people or organising non-profit cultural events.

Due to several last-minute bureaucratic obstacles, the artists were unable to make the scheduled interventions, fortunately they were able to move them to Old Havana. Same problems all over the world eh! 

Thanks to the #colorcojimar project the artists were able to carry out the activity and insert it into the Social Economy and Solidarity project Arte Corte. Corte is a social transformation project with 20 years of experience working with young people with disabilities and/or at risk of vulnerability and exclusion.

The various murals made have improved the environment, became catalysts for new community bonds, and were also the result of community engagement processes, workshops and meetings with local artists.

Roc told me that “The most social side of art in public space has shone through this project and it has become a wonderful experience for the artists we have been able to take part in and for the whole community as well” 

Roc Blackblock – Instagram