PHOTOGRAPHS – MARTHA MARIA PÉREZ

PRESS RELEASE

In Caribbean culture, the synthesis of various beliefs and myths, the rituals they inspire, and the socio-cultural sanctions they impose are integral to daily life for many people. The confluence of races and cultures, rooted in diverse historical and societal backgrounds, has created a richly layered mythological world that informs a wide array of folk belief systems and thought patterns.

This spiritual realm serves as the raw material for the art of Martha Maria Pérez, a young Cuban artist. In her exhibition at the Pori Art Museum, Pérez explores the multifaceted nature of photography, employing it both as an anthropological documentation of Cuban folk beliefs and as a deliberate act of breaking taboos. Her central theme—womanhood and, above all, motherhood—acts as an ironic, psycho-autobiographical depiction of the kitsch-like aspects of “civilized” motherhood.

In her works, Martha Maria Pérez uses her own body to challenge the power of Santería, an Afro-Cuban folk religion. Santería imposes strict taboos on pregnant women to protect their unborn child, such as avoiding the sight of animals being killed or refraining from wearing belts, necklaces, or using knives. By photographing her naked pregnant body—threatened by a butcher’s knife or encircled by a belt—Pérez simultaneously defies these beliefs and reinforces their significance through her conscious exhibitionism.

Her series “Due to Pregnancy” (1986–1987) shocked Cuban audiences. Similarly, the series “Album of Memories” (1987–1988), created after the birth of her twin daughters, provoked a strong reaction. This series highlights the contradictions inherent in young motherhood: the cycles of sleeplessness and rest, feelings of strength and weakness, overt sexuality juxtaposed with the physical violence of childbirth, and the interplay of sacrifice and beauty. The fear of “losing” her children or resisting the subconscious myth-based compulsion to “choose” the firstborn is reflected in obsessive images where tiny doll-like twins cling to the mother’s eyes and body like spiders.

Pérez’s “self-portraits” do not merely document or testify to events. Her approach involves “creating” images and constructing her own reality. The idea and execution of the work are paramount—who ultimately presses the shutter is irrelevant. By framing the image and positioning herself before the camera, Pérez stages a multilayered play of subjectivity. Photography, with its presumed authenticity, creates a powerful tension within her works.

Born in Havana in 1959, Martha Maria Pérez studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas “San Alejandro” (1976–1979) and the Instituto Superior de Arte (1979–1984). She belongs to a generation of young Cuban artists who emerged in the 1980s, drawing deeply from their surroundings while being acutely aware of international art movements, forging a strong sense of identity.

This intimate exhibition of 20 photographs offers a glimpse into a broader showcase of young Cuban art from the 1980s, which is being prepared for display at the Pori Art Museum at the turn of 1989–1990.

Publication:
ISBN 951-9355-22-7 Martha Maria Perez
Pori Art Museum 6.4.-7.5.1989
Catalog editing: Porin taidemuseo
Writers: Maria E. Haya – photographers, Director of the Photograph Archive of Cuba
Osvaldo Sánchez – author, assistant professor, University of Art and Design
Translations: Päivi Sihvonen-Hautecoeur
Lay-out: Hilkka Kuusijärvi
100PRINT, Pori 1989

Translated with ChatGPT