Wherein we speak of René Peña, the cook, the thirf, his wife, his lover and don Quixote

              (liihaii |ili()l()m:i|)li\ ol lile 1')()() s was l^clorc ciiiliiii'kiim (iii liis
¡inhiicil willi llic ('iiic ipiíil ííí a ('i>iiiilr\ plidiojiiapliic can'i-r. I'cña Iricd KI lie a
¡II wliirli a MICCCSMIIII icMiliilioii liail lakrii paiiilrv. a wi'ilcr. aiiil a iiiii-'ii'iaii - he li'll
place ¡II l**->0. I i-ii \c;i|-h lalcr. coiiiprlItMl Iii coniiniitiii ¡ilf wlial \\a>
lile workci-' coiiniuird lii iic lile incide liiiii. huí lie Icll lii- liail lilllc lalciil
priilajicini>l.--. iiiiil iiiiaar> .-.liow ¡iiü lliciii iii ilic.-,c l o i n \ s . lie Irlí al luiiiir oiilx willi
¡II iiidu^liial í-('lliii<;n III' ¡II llir caiir lirld> ihc raiucra and ¡ii llii- lalioialiirN . I li¡,->
wcrc aiiia^í^rd; lile líMidriic\ w a> Iii uhit'ily prn\i'<! closcsl lii \ú^ coiicrpl o! d¡^-^•i¡)lin('
llic wiirkiiiL; cla^^. willi aii (•iiiplia>i> and li¡> li-iidciirs lowaiil ¡ii>lal)il¡l\.
Olí \\(irk('r> r o l o as "licnics in a wrw . |l alliiwcd hini lo Icaní CNCÍA llnnu li\
foir-.<'cii l\pi' ol Mxacly. InniicH. aiidiniiií llii' c-las.-.cs lie CIHIM' al
In lile l')iU)'-,. plioloi;ra|ili\. likc llii- llic iiii¡\ rr.-.il\ wlilioiK r\ c r offirialK
i-iiiiiilr\ ilscir. look a IoO" liirii. willi llic cniolliiiu or madiialiiii;: diplonia.s did iiol
i'iiicifií'iicc ol ¡ii(li\ idiiais liki' líourlio inlcicsl liiiii. as lie was iiiiK diawn
Li'ipcz Marín (who liad arliicNcii lo kiiow Icdiic oí wlial alliach-d liiin.
coiisidcialilc i-cii(i\\ii in llic piioi' dccadc • • • Peña wiiiks li\ iiisliiiil. I le s a \ s llial
and iiow li\cs in Miaini). .losó Manuel l'iirs. alicr lie has iiiadc liis wiirks he looks
E R E N A H E R N Á N D EZ
Mana María l'rrcz (niiw lisiiiji in Mcwico) aronnd lo scc wlial llic\ iiiiulii he
and inaii\ oilirrs lor wlioiii ilir < ¡iincra was i'oiiipaird wilh. srckinu "lo sliarc
a n'sonriT raihcr lliaii aii ciid in ilscll. cuiiipliiincs. I lien' are piiiiils in i-oniinoii
Al! t líese a n i s l s luid speeialised iraiiiiim. aecniíiplished o I' llie iiew pliolnmapliers. wilh I he earU slaücs of ( aiidy Slieriiian s
and ihey liirned plioloi;i-aphy iiilo a íield Iju. mei ieiiloiis way in wliieh he e.\eeiiles work.
as capahle as aiiy ollier ol eoneepinal his wiirk rcM'als ilie p e i s o n a l i u ol an Pena s rescarcli lociises oii llie way
exploialion and expii'ssion. arlisi lor w lioiii crall loriiis parí of llie in wliich llie aNcrage (ailiaii li\cs liiday
Anv seinlilance ol "epie leeliiif; iir iliseoiirse. a s e a n he seeii ¡ii I he clahorale wlieii nol pcrloiiiiiii<;. represenliiii; or
heriiie posliiriiiji disappeared ¡ii llie eii\ iroiiiiienls iiF his wiirk. posiim. I'.M'II al lioiiie - Peña says - iliey
l''''()',s. lile siilijeel alone iiiallered: Peña s inelhod is In isolale hiniseír acl oiil lile role ol' iiiliinaey; eillier inaelio
a diseoneeried inili\ idiial laeiii"; lile ¡n his lioiisc and lo heiíin ilreainini; ii|i or u a \ . Diiulile siandards and opporlinñsin
Iraiisrorinaiioiis oí r e a l i l \ . I liere wcre iio selliiius. I le liiinsell' is lile aelor in eaelí lia\c lieeii spiíken ol as lili' enilenhe e\ils
inore iiliipian lales lo he lolil; il was seeiie. W lien lile eleinenls wilh whielí he "I iradilional soeialisin. \\ hile people are
a inalli-r of placiiiü onesell. lo llie licsl ol waiils lo lell iis oí his \ersioii oí e\eiils really oiie lliiim. llie\ seek lo projeel llie
oiie s a l i i l i u . in lile hislorical eonleM. are all aiiaimcd. lie iioses in Iroiil oí llie peisonalilN llial llie\ heliexc will lead lo
lo i'eeoiíiñse onesell. lo aeeepl oiie s hile or eailiera and lakes llie p h o l o m a p h . llieir heiiin aeeepled and. roiise(|ueiiilv.
lo lr\ lo endure wliile wailini» lor wlial "|'|ie plaeeinein of eaeh sxiiiholie eleiiienl ohlaiiiin^;; eeilain ad\ amalles. (I lielie\i-iiñülil
eoiiie in ilie liiiiire. - orjianised sponianeoiisK allhoiiuh in ll'al lilis is realK a iiiiixcisal s\ iidiiinie:
Rene Peña, liiiiii in l l a \ a n a in aecord wilh a pre-esialilislied i d e a - llie disjiiiisc.) Peña ••illnininales" diese
l')5'7. helongs lo lilis laller licneral ion. heeoiiies a kiiid oí rile wliielí he indiilues inoial disuiiiscs.
SeU-laniíhl. ahoiil leu xcais ai;c) he hefiaii in as ií il wcre a llierapeinic ealharsis. I le lieiiail wilh a series in lilaek and
lo \isil lile inloiinal ualherinus oí llie llie proeess. llie rcsiills aiiil llie w a \ s in wliile ealled liilfivircs. also known as
elileiK nieinliers oí w lial was oiiee w liiili he reíales lo llie siirriiiindiiiíis IIÍIIÍÍI (li-iilro. I le wiirkeil on lilis series
llie Pliolo!;iaph\ (ihili oí ( aiha: loda\ he siiguesi a \eiii of neurosis in his lioiu I <)<) I lo !<)<).'!. seekiim lo show
iiia\ well he lile iiiosl leehnieallv- eliaiaeler. ll"' lionie. or. as lii- ealled il. llie plaee oí
OfilHCl AILÍNICO ce ajüí ÍAXSSO
Oiiesis. ^'Iiile others weiv (liawii to tlic
woild as spectacle. Peña was iiiterested
in man before he doiis a inask.
Hiere are ii» woinen in liis work.
and liis maseulinity - al times in
transvestite Ibnn. at otiier limes
exawjjeratedly maie - (reates eí'feots that
recall tlie pliotographs of a maíjazine or
a gav club. At times lie eonjnres iij) a
soinewliat sordid atnn)s[)liere. as if a
moralisiiig Oalvinist mentality were
nnderlying liis ap|iroa(li: tliis reflects liis
nenrolic tinge, and liis insistence on
changing a reality not acceptable as it is.
Wliile soine avoi(l reality tlirtiiigh a variety
of nianners. and others rlioose cynieisni.
it seems tliat Peña heheves tlial h is still
|)ossii)le lo do something.
In this first series, tlie artist himself
does not a[)pear. hnt rather liis
snnoniidingh a liimilile. workiiig-flass
neighliorliood wlieie he li\ed with liis
(atlier. a Oomninnist and a former
goveriiment ser\aiit wlio fought dnring tlie
Bav of Pigs invasión as well as agaiiist
tlie n|)rising wliicli songht to hring down
tile revoliition froin the liighlaiids
oí Eseainbray. These experienees led his
fatlier to keep ainl eherish bis mimerons
niedals. Peña takes him as the iiiodel wilh
whieh to refleet ironically abont the
politieal ebanges tliat liave eieated
a strange svnibiosis between caiiitalisin
and socialisin.
Peña grew ii]) while Che (¡nevaras
ideas of a new man prevailed. Life at the
present jtinetHíe leads to some confusión as
to the coexistenee of a finidaineiitalist
discoiirse witb the praetices of a market-based
soeiety. aecepted grnmliliiigly by the
powers tliat be, in order to siiivive tlie fall
of tile Soviet worid and the eontintied
hostilitv of the l'.S.A. Peña has to
re])ostnlate bis vaine systein and wliat
he has leanietl: Vi hat can 1 accept and
what not? \\ liat is good and wlial is badV
... Peña metaphorises all ibis, constrncting
allegories in whicli be speaks of iiewlx -
airived pbenomena stich as tbc prosiitntes
(locally knowii as ¡iiiclcm.':) and the
niarket mentality ainong artists. wlio are
permeated - like tiie rest of societv - b\
the desire lo earn dollars in order lo
snrvive.
Given these coiicerns. be inade
bimself ii|) like a prosliliite in bis series
The Cook. llie Thii'f, liis II ¡fe and IIU
Loreí: a tille borrowed froni the film
of the Britisb director Peter (ireenawav.
wbose thealrical way of makiiig movies.
"witb stage designs capable of crealing
a iniiveise in a single room. has liad
a considerable infbience on l'eña. This
series occnpied him from 1')').'{ to 1')').").
and be nsed bimself as llie ineasnre of
<baiige. He took refíige in bis own
ca|>acily. as an individual, lo figbl liack
and snperimpose Iñinself oiilo a iiew and
adverse setling. lOday. artists in Ciuba
lalk of the gallery directois who weie
interesled in theni dnring llie Havana
Biemñal. of how tlieir portfolio was
impressive eiioiigb lo elicit |)avineiil in
dollars. and of the shoes ihey boiighl
- of anytlñng rather iban art.
.\t the saine lime. Peña worked on
another series (iinlitled. 1')92). Takiiig
llie foriii of etlmological research and
cast in sepia and blnish Iones,
it qneslioned Eiiroceiitiic altitudes and
woiidered wby (áibans (accordiiig lo
Peña) have come to believe tbemselves
more Vi estern iban the rest of the Vi esl.
overlooking their condition as "¡jaliiios"
and as the Iñslorical producís of
iinderdevelo|)inent.
.Vroiind ibis lime he enconniered
.\iiiié (desaires ideas of "negritnde. ' and
caiiie lo identify closely witli dis<()nrses
that spoke of .\frica as the promised laiid.
In a \isit lo lile I iiiled Slales. h()\ve\er.
lile impression he garnered from meeling
African Americans led him lo conclnde
that w hile it is one llñiig lo recognise one s
rools. leeognising one s iians-Allaiitic
iileiilily is yel anolbei'.
Dnring this period. he also worked
on the two series •Riliialcs 1" and "Muñeca
mía. The first consists of portrayals of
pmificalion and •cleansing rimáis of the
Voriiba religión in (liiba. lie casi himself
holding a lisli and an egg. wilh bis bodv
inarked by esoleric sigiis. all symbolic
elemenls of ibe ^()rllba cereinony.
Tbe "Muñeca mía series alindes to
lile issiie ol race, parlicnlarlv ibe relalion
between a black man iid a while woinan.
The resulting iinages are aggressive and
ibeir ambignity i)roni|)ts nncertainly in the
speclator as to whellier ihe offenses against
his ancestors are being enjoved or avenged.
The relalion is poilrayed as a love-hate
dynanñc. in which the man feeis bolh
liappy to possess woman and fiill of desire
lo deslrov ber.
rile tille of bis more receñí series,
made in 1<)<)4 and 1 <)<).-,. is liiliKíles II.
I lere be relnins to self-|)orlrailnre in black
and while. Ihe absence of colonr indícales
bis aceeplance of realily as it is:
bis bebavionr is like aiiyone else's. sliorii
of bolh idealism aii<l naivete. Kor Peña
nobody is entirely a viclim ñor entirelv an
aggressor. He sees people as mere mortals.
witboiil adjectival predicalions and in
barmony witb the contradictions iiiberent
lo the human condition. Il is the only sane
attitnde. To yonr lileratnre. Don
ynixote!