Artist Profile
Carolina Barrero
Cuba
Status: In Exile
“The seams of the regime have unraveled, and from these openings emerge the colors of freedom,” reflects Carolina Barrero, Cuban art historian, human rights defender and pro-democracy activist, from exile in Madrid.
As someone who has channeled her free expression through philosophy, history, activism, and thought, Carolina’s work is rooted in a voracious curiosity to learn and question. Beyond her activism, Carolina has written compelling articles on the power and symbolism of flags in art, art in the work of philosophers and mathematicians, and the impact of art and history on epistemology and human understanding of the world.
In retaliation for her courageous activism in the name of political and civil rights and creative expression, Carolina has confronted extensive and sustained harassment perpetrated by the Cuban state. In the face of escalating pressure, threats, house arrest and detention, the art historian was forced into exile in February 2022.
Born in 1986, Carolina was raised by her grandparents in a house in Havana where she recalls being surrounded by books and stories of the Cuban War of Independence, ancient philosophy, and literature. When asked what drove her to study art history she reflects: “an artwork is a type of code that condenses the spirit of time channeled through the subjectivity of the artist…the path to deciphering art whether a painting or a poem, is the door to abolishing the linear comprehension of time into an ever-present comprehension of nature.”
While Carolina’s activism extends far beyond the arts, her support and collaboration with the independent artistic community in Cuba played an important role in her form of social and political protest. After graduating from college, one of her first creative projects was Showroom, an initiative that sought to provide young artists and recent graduates with a space to present their work and spur public debate surrounding art and cultural institutions. Working in the Centro Wilfredo Lam, Carolina recounted her inspiration for the event stemmed from the fact that the workers at the institution lacked information about young artists and students or recent graduates from ISA (University of Arts of Cuba), explaining, “There was a disconnect between the institution and the most recent generations.” The event brought together approximately 50 people during which “many things were openly said, especially about the servility of arts institutions.” Yet, given its critical content matter, Showroom was canceled by the center after its first event.
For Carolina, her generation has been particularly shaped by the arrival of the internet in the country. With Cuban’s gaining limited access to the internet beginning in 1996, “internet became a way to communicate and connect beyond the control and censorship of the State. Isolation, which might be one of the most important tactics of the regime, was virtually stopped and solidarity raised,” Carolina said.
Yet, in questioning these narratives and the historical memory of the country, Carolina—and many of her generational contemporaries—have faced intense repression. For example, on January 27, 2021, in front of the Ministry of Culture, Carolina and other artists assembled to protest against increasing state violence and persecution of dissent. As police surrounded the group, Carolina led a reading of the poem Dos Patrias by Jose Marti. Reflecting on the event, she said “despite the fact Marti wrote it at the end of the 19th century, as I was doing the public reading we all felt it could have been written on that day." Especially in the context of Cuba, Barrero notes: “the power of poetry to deconstruct and subvert totalitarian fiction.”
The January 27 protests were violently broken up by Cuban security forces under orders of the Minister of Culture, and many demonstrators were detained. These protests were followed by many others, including, six months later, the historic mass demonstrations that broke out on July 11, 2021, where over a thousand individuals were detained, with many artists and activists under house arrest or detention. Carolina herself experienced numerous short-term detentions during this period and was subject to house arrest for over 130 days, subjected to constant surveillance through the installation of security cameras and police patrols outside her home.
On January 31, 2022, after protesting with a group of mothers in solidarity with their sons who were being tried for participating in the July 11 protests, she was detained. That night, Carolina was told by the Cuban state security that she had to leave Cuba or the government would charge the mothers who protested with her with public disorder.
Speaking about her experience in exile so far, Carolina said, “it feels like a decade has passed, but in reality, it has only been one year.” Since she was forced to leave Cuba, Carolina has dedicated herself entirely to advocating for political prisoners and the cause of freedom in the country.
Using her voice to stand up for human rights and democracy, Carolina emphasizes the importance of advocating for Cuba as a global issue, the plurality of Cuban civil society and opposition, and the legitimacy of the Cuban people’s fight for freedom. In a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and activists from various countries as part of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proceedings, Carolina defended the need to understand Cuba’s situation in a global context. Specifically, she referenced how issues in Cuba relate to the rise of global authoritarianism, the government’s ties with Russia, the conflict in Ukraine, and the Cuban state's influence on regional autocratic tendencies.
Still, as Carolina continues her activism and promotes the power of art to create social change and promote democracy worldwide, she made one point clear: “We are not going to stop until we bring peace, truth, justice, democracy, and freedom to our country.”
By Jake Neuberger, February 2023. Jake recently graduated from the George Washington University, majoring in Political Science and International Affairs with minors in Spanish and Sociocultural Anthropology. He is a consultant for the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC).