el ojo de la mente, Cuba - mind’s eye, Cuba

Definition of mind's eye
: the mental faculty of conceiving imaginary or recollected scenes
mind's eye to create the story's setting


As a photographer, I love telling stories.
And “el ojo de la mente, Cuba” is the photographic story of a journey through Cuba.
Through a country, full of visual associations, of emotions and also stereotypes ... but above all longing.
Longing drove me on this trip to a country that is culturally shaped like no other by its revolution, its politics, films, music and lifestyle.
You know Cuba, we all know Cuba.
My story is the story of my Cuba, very personal, maybe touristy or even naive.
Someone told me that she particularly liked my pictures of Cuba, but she remembered Cuba much more colourful.
My Cuba which reminded someone of her Cuba. My Cuba, which I have in my mind.

The longing….
 

I have never made it to Cuba.
 
My Cuba is my Cuba.

We have all seen something regarding this island, where the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet. From “Havana” with Robert Redford or the “Buena Vista Social Club” to Hemingway and of course most of us have heard the name Castro and his epic fight against everything American. I traveled around the world and saw many beautiful, interesting, tragic and also dangerous places. Very often I looked at isolated photographs from those journeys and thought to myself…if I didn’t know better…this could be Cuba. So I tell my story through the Cuba I know. The places and the feelings I long to discover and which come from places such La Reunion, Istanbul, the beaches of Sicily, the Venice market, the streets of Barcelona, Miami…… 

Maybe in these days of Social Media, Corona and everything influencing us via our modern lifestyle, my story is a modern story! We see things and tell ourselves stories. And maybe because I've never been to Cuba and don’t know better…..it is black and white.