In 1995, when Ezequiel Suarez created together with Sandra Ceballos “The Espacio Aglutinador”(The Melting Pot) in their tiny apartment in Havana, every young artist in Cuba agreed that there was a turning point in the city cultural landscape. Those ignored or banned by the state sponsored cultural organizations finally found a venue for their works.

Ezequiel Suarez’s installation titled Salón Rojo/ Red Saloon (2006), consists of a mural composition made out of old postcards, sculptural pieces displayed on multiple pedestals and a Cuban flag made out of paper, anchoring the gallery wall.

“I bought these old postcards in my hometown -Jagüey Grande, a countryside town not far from Havana. They all show the Capri Hotel, a now decaying building in Vedado (Havana) where my parents spent their honeymoon and where I was conceived.

Hotels in Cuba have change their main function, as Cubans are the most of the times not allowed to stay in. They are a sort of forbidden places…

I was particularly interested on the geometrical pattern the postcards created when placed one facing the other…

On the other hand the little toy with a flag on the corner of the installation is related to the huge political parades held in the country, where everyone carries a Cuban flag. This particular flag is slightly transformed, as an expression of mourning.” Ezequiel Suarez (2006)