CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.-Often working with limited resources, contemporary Cuban artists are pushing the boundaries of expression and technique. Their subject matter plays on both literal and metaphoric levels, exploring concepts of personal and national identity. The University of Virginia Art Museum special exhibition “Mi Cuerpo, Mi País: Cuban Art Today” showcases a range of work by contemporary Cuban artists drawn from the collection and on loan to the museum. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Virginia Film Festival and its theme “In/Justice.”

Over the past four years, museum director Jill Hartz and Advisory Board member Irwin Berman and his wife, Linda, traveled to Cuba, where they met artists, developed relationships with galleries and acquired a number of works in a range of media by Juan Carlos Alom, Augustin Beharanjo Caballero, Nelson Dominguez, José Fors, Aimée Garcia, Eduardo Hernandez, José Armando Mariño, Ibrahim Miranda, Cireneica Moreira and Raul Corrales. Subsequently, the museum purchased works by Arturo Montoto, Raul Peña.

An illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition, which is supported by the Arts Enhancement Fund, Dr. and Mrs. Irwin Berman, and the FUNd at the Charlottesville Albemarle Community Foundation.

Museum director Hartz and curator Andrea Douglas will present a gallery talk about the exhibition on Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in the museum. The talk is free and open to the public. Three Cuban films will be shown this fall that further our understanding of Cuban history and culture, and the environment in which Cuban artists create their work today. The films are described below. Two films are featured in the OFFScreen program, and are shown in Newcomb Hall: admission is $3.