“Chessboards” Exhibit at the Habana Libre Tryp Hotel

A collective exhibit made up of 17 Cuban artists and entitled “Chessboards” will be displayed at Habana Libre Tryp Hotel through April 22nd in a bid to encourage the practice of the science sport in the country and highlight the emblematic figure of Cuban Jose Raul Capablanca.

Developed as a result of the original idea aired by Jose Carlos de Santiago, CEO of the Excelencias Croup, the initiative was unselfishly supported by Luis Basterra, general manager of the hotel facility, and Francisco Martinez, official at Spain’s Embassy to Cuba, who joined forces to make such project come true.

The exhibit engulfs renowned Cuban artists and it shows different styles and techniques, such as acrylic, oil painting, dry pastel, installation, ceramics, among others, and the work with wood, fabric, canvas, card and paper.

Martinez, also founder of the Jose Raul Capablanca Chess Players Club, which has a space at hotel on Fridays, explained that the project was initially conceived for artists to make and donate chessboards to play.

“I don’t know if I dare to play on those chessboards, because I respect art and I think that every artwork has its own space. We later agreed that the artists, based on the chess theme, would participate in an exhibit and, with the fund raised, we would get chessboards, pieces, clocks and some tables to hold tournaments,” he said.

Likewise, Reynaldo Lazaro Alvarez Villamil, one of the artists involved in the project, spoke on behalf of his colleagues and expressed that, “it was a pleasure to participate in an exhibit that blends art and sport, so art reflects the practice of that sport. It’s a great honor for us to contribute with these pieces to have chessboards in schools.”

Alberto Mardomingo, provincial commissioner of the sport discipline at the capital, who always supports this kind of alternatives aimed at fostering the development of the science game, as well as the recovery of traditional space to practice it, said to be honored by the theme reflected on the work of great Cuban artists, “since chess also comprises art and science,” he pointed out.

“This actions are going to help spread this practice in Havana and the whole country, when people see this initiative in schools and children and youngsters have artworks in their hands. We thank the artists, the Habana Libre Tryp Hotel for the willingness to provide a space on Fridays, and Francisco Martinez for his initiative and support to the practice of chess at the capital. It’s great to find unpublished paintings in this type of display,” the commissioner explained.

The event held on Friday at the hotel’s Solidarity Hall was also attended by the top representative of the Spanish Embassy in Cuba, Juan Francisco Montalban Carrasco, who stressed the importance of culture, art, sport and science to favor the bonds of friendship between both countries, “and why not, also in the fields of business and initiatives aimed at creating richness.”

“I’m very happy with this initiative. I’ve had the opportunity to follow this project since the very beginning, when Francisco told me about these meetings. I was pleased to see that they were massive and people actually like it. The involvement of both the hotel, by means of Luis Basterra, and the Excelencias Group, with Jose Carlos, shows that Spanish entrepreneurs in Cuba are also interested in contributing to the understanding between both countries, with sports and culture as flagships. We have to keep working on it.”

“All of these contacts, exchanges and meetings make me very happy and create bonds of friendships, understanding, affection, love, essentially among young people. I thank the artists for their devotion to this constructive, beautiful and fair cause, with great enthusiasm,” Montalban Carrasco noted.

On the other hand, Basterra praised the involvement in this kind of initiatives, focused on “spreading the practice of chess and helping it have its space in Havana, so we can see more representatives of this sport that has taken Cuba very high,” he asserted.

Besides Villamil, the artworks were shared by Zaida del Rio, Alicia de la Campa, Sinecio Cuetara, Gabriel Antonio Cuetara de la Campa, Milton Bernal, Alberto Sautua, Landy Mesis Alvarez, Enrique Wong Diaz, Irving Torres Barroso, Adrian Cuba Valdes, Jorge Salvador Guanche Garcia, Guillermo Zaldivar Rodriguez, Jose Antonio Oliva Alfonso, Hector Montaner Naranjo, Iskra Ravelo Garcia and Ricardo Labarca Lebrigio.