Tara Pixley, PhD. In a world of images inundated with monolithic or myopic rhetoric about the Latin and Afro-Latin diaspora, these images shine. Moments of gaiety, levity and somber consideration of the camera as interlocutor offer a different rendering of Cuba than is typically seen.
As a 25-year-old from Russia coming to Cuba, I wanted to see beyond Cuba’s Soviet past. I was eager to discover and capture change — specifically, the new generation of young people, so many of whom are remarkably diverse, progressive, and bold. Before my trip, I had connected with two local girls, Cami and Bia, who helped me identify local youth communities and find their representatives. In Havana, I took a series of group portraits against various backdrops, ranging from abandoned colonial houses to remnants of Soviet buildings, and put together a collection of young Cubans' dreams.
