Cuban visual artist Nadia Garcia Porras offers a fascinating look into modern Cuba and the role that the feminine plays in that world. In direct response to the many societal and economic changes that have recently occurred there, Porras created the iconic character of Maraya, a modern woman intended to reflect many aspects of Cuban life within the lower middle class. These photographs intelligently but gently satirize situations, customs, and details which have come to define modern Cuba and the archetypal feminine in its culture.
Recycling, reform, and reconstruction are key elements within Porras’ work, and central to the images are the clothing and household decorations that flooded Cuba after the legalization of the dollar and the resulting rise of conspicuous consumption. The artist recalls, “This resulted in the overcrowding of shops with objects of very low quality and no aesthetic sense that Cubans bought in droves to decorate their homes, thinking that this was the best in the world.” In the end, Porras’ photography chronicles some of the defining moments of her time for future generations to consider and comprehend.