ARTIUM RECOVERS THE SILENCED DISSIDENCE OF JUANA CIMA

Artium presents in Una mirada disidente a broad overview of the work of Juana Fernández Cima (Caibarién, Cuba, 1951), exploring an artistic practice that is inseparable from the artist’s way of life, marked by dissidence and the exploration of identity. Her trajectory is structured around the convergence of her early Caribbean memory, her formative experiences in the Basque Country, and an ongoing search for spirituality.

Her position can be understood as pioneering, raising since the late 1970s discussions on themes that are highly relevant today, particularly those related to identity, gender, and ecology. Her work was recognized during her period of greatest public visibility, spanning the two decades between 1977 and 1997. Although many of her works entered institutional collections, her formal rawness, emotional openness, and a practice situated outside the institutional frameworks of the time led to her gradual silencing.

Without ceasing to produce, Fernández Cima voluntarily withdrew from the exhibition circuit, which gradually pushed her work to the margins of the hegemonic narrative, to the point of near disappearance. The exhibition offers a critical reflection on the processes that led to this absence, while rehabilitating her production and calling for the restoration of its significance within the public debate.

To this end, the exhibition is structured around five conceptual territories that bring together the artist’s biographical, geographical, and spiritual dimensions: Bilbao as the first space of desire; mythical territories linked to an ecofeminist consciousness; insular identity; the spiritual path shaped through India and Buddhism; and, finally, retreat in the mountains. Together, these areas reveal a profound ethical interrelation and a vital practice where thought and creation are deeply intertwined.

Juana Cima. Una mirada disidente can be seen until August 30, 2026 at Artium, Francia 24, Vitoria (Spain).