Meeting Monkc: a Cuban artist in a changing island
by Jorge T.
About two years ago I was contacted on my Facebook account by a mysterious young man named Miguel from Havana Cuba. His first message was filled with compliments for some of the photos I had recently taken during one of my trips. Little did I know this would be the beginning of a long-lasting friendship.
After a few interesting initial conversations about Cuba and Montreal, I realized that Miguel was reaching out to me so that he could talk about his love for Canadian films. I realize this was especially important for him as an artist living on an island that is not known for facilitating the travel of its nationals.
Anyway, this is how our friendship was born and how we would end up collaborating on several projects ever since. Personally, I see Miguel as one of the most interesting Cuban illustrators that I have come across.
Recently, we had a chance to talk to Miguel in more detail about his work and the evolution of his art in a country that remains both frozen in time and subject to significant winds of change.
Who is Miguel Monkc?
The Miguel of the outside, was born with the name Miguel Alejandro Castro Sánchez but the Miguel of the inside likes to be called Miguel Monkc, or simply Monkc. This special person is the owner of my fantasies and my inner world where my artistic ethos lives.
I am also the one who is most in love with my own work as well as the biggest critic of it.
With increasing political reforms and changes coming to Cuba, how do you think the work of Cuban artists is going to evolve?
The evolution of our work as artists should not be anything other than that of designers and illustrators that are involved with, and committed to, following the social and political changes taking place in Cuba. A work without labels: neither against nor in favor of the socialist system.
In Cuba, art has always been a vehicle of protest, and it is very probable that with the new political reforms, new problems will emerge and the artists’ world will continue to express feelings of protest.
However, I think that the new creative minds in Cuba, the new generation of illustrators, have not yet fully awakened to the idea that we are active entities, and that we not only have a right to have a verbal opinion but also a right to a visual and graphic opinion.
Perhaps the state will come forward and say to us “Yes, go ahead and make illustrations that dissents and protests …” but we will always wonder if the darkest part of the state would then come after us with: surveillance, intimidation, tapping of our communications, asphyxiation, the closing of our doors to the outside world, etc.
Miguel Monkc, in a world where the work of illustrators is closely linked with corporate and private work for branding purposes, how do you manage to infuse your marketing work with your own personal artistic ethos?
When the role of graphic design is to solve needs and demands of clients through graphic solutions, we find that it is often tricky to clearly infuse our artistic ethos.
On the other hand, if we do not offer our artistic input, we are not doing design and our clients do not find the differentiation they want. So the answer is somewhere in between.
Illustration is a good way to calm our inner demons of always wanting to impose our aesthetics. We always find as illustrators a way to adapt our visual speech to the aesthetic and sensations which reflect who we are as artists, all without forgetting that our work has a specific function: understanding what the client wants us to communicate, not literally but more profoundly, and then transmitting the message.
Who is your favourite Canadian artist? What could you say about his/her work and, or the general Canadian art scene?
My favourite Canadian artist is Xavier Dolan. I was fascinated watching Les Amours Imaginaires when I was in my second year of graphic design studies. I was moved to find out that the main actor was actually the film director. I adore the way Xavier mixed the sensations of photography with an exquisite taste for music, costumes and general art direction.
Recently I had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Marc H. Choko (emeritus professor of the Ecole de Design-UQAM) on the history of poster design in Montreal.
I was surprised to hear that in his opinion the current state of poster design in Montreal is not completely satisfactory. Marc believes, as well as most Cuban illustrators do, that posters should be more than the simple realistic photomontage, or the digital print, of the directors work (something which has come to define the Hollywood style).
I agree 100% with Marc as I prefer challenging and flirting with the unreal instead of adopting a realistic approach to illustration.
Finally, do you have any message for Canadians that may be curious about travelling to Cuba to learn more about the Cuban art movement?
Yes I do. Please visit the cathedral of contemporary graphic design and art at the Factory of Cuban Art (FAC), as well as the Ludwig Foundation and the Higher Institute of Design in Havana. Also try to attend the show of choreographer Carlos Acosta and his dance company Acosta Danza.
And please do not miss the plays of Carlos Díaz and his company El Público. This Cuban director has a very strong relation with satire and critical approaches to theatre.
Finally I suggest to visit the poor neighbourhoods of Cuba. There you will find good and kind people which reflect our real society.
