Claudia Patricia Peréz

Claudia Patricia Peréz was born and raised in Havana, Cuba, and studied design at the Instituto Superior de Diseño. As an artist, Claudia is interested in the flow of information, the ways individuals react to news, along with the intersections of technology and the methods of communication in times of political crisis. Claudia’s art responds to current events, often using satire to challenge institutions of power.

While still living in Cuba, Claudia founded Mujercitos Magazine, an underground cultural project that showcases the work of Cuban artists in an uncensored environment. Today, Mujercitos Magazine continues to serve as a bold space that celebrates provocative art, freedom of expression, and Cuban dissident voices both on the island and in exile. “I believe there’s a big mistake when it comes to thinking about dialogue; we tend to complicate what two people can easily do by opening their mouths and emitting sounds with some decency or another. Satire and humor should incite the illegal and make the one who smiles complicit,” said Claudia in an interview with ARC. 

In addition to working on Mujercitos Magazine, Claudia is part of The Hannah Arendt Institute of Artivism (INSTAR), collaborating in their diverse artistic interventions, such as at Documenta Fifteen. Due to her involvement in INSTAR and the criminalization of creativity by the government on the island, Claudia suffered harassment and acts of repudiation due to her artistic expression.

In 2021, Claudia made the difficult decision to leave the island and is now seeking asylum in Brazil. During her fellowship, Claudia focused on two works: A sculpture project entitled “How to Make a Revolution Look Good?” and a “bitten book” concept piece from the draft series titled “NO HAY FELICIDAD QUE NO SEA FASCISMO.” 

Both works examine the modern idea of “revolution,” the discourse of change, and the role of famous political texts in authoritarianism. Her works force us to consider: Why does revolution get such good press? And why is it ignored that most social changes, even those that temporarily occur more abruptly, do not happen overnight but are the cumulative consequence of longer-term processes?