A decade after becoming the first international contemporary art gallery to establish a permanent presence in Havana, Galleria Continua is marking the milestone with a major exhibition, La Capacidad de Soñar / The Ability to Dream. Running through July 19, 2025, the group show features works by 40 emerging and established Cuban artists—both local and diasporic—who have previously collaborated with the gallery. The exhibition underscores the gallery’s enduring commitment to cultural exchange and the promotion of Cuban contemporary art on the global stage.
Beyond the exhibition, the anniversary is being commemorated with a month-long program of performances, events, and artistic engagements aimed at highlighting the richness and vitality of Cuban cultural expression.
Galleria Continua first entered the Cuban art scene during the 12th Havana Biennial in May 2015, with a site-specific installation by French conceptual artist Daniel Buren titled Perimetro, hosted at the historic Águila de Oro theatre. Later that year, the gallery formalized its presence in the same location under the name Arte CONTINUA Habana, opening with the inaugural exhibition Anclados en el Territorio. This show featured six Cuban artists—Alejandro Campins, Elizabet Cerviño, Carlos Garaicoa, Susana Pilar, Reynier Leyva Novo, and José Yaque—whose works engaged with the space’s layered architectural and historical context.
In the years since, the gallery has transformed the former cinema in Havana’s Chinatown into a vibrant center for artistic dialogue and experimentation. The impact has been both symbolic and tangible, reflecting a sustained commitment to inclusion, participation, and cultural bridge-building. “Art, like the wind, should not be stopped by borders,” stated gallery founders Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi, and Maurizio Rigillo. “These are values we have found, cherished, and shared with the Cuban people.”
Galleria Continua has hosted numerous exhibitions in Havana, showcasing internationally acclaimed artists such as Chen Zhen, Hans Op de Beeck, Zhanna Kadyrova, Jorge Macchi, Pascale Marthine Tayou, and Julio Le Parc. These initiatives have been developed in collaboration with a thriving community of Cuban artists, many of whom are being honored in the current anniversary exhibition.
Among them is Carlos Garaicoa, a key figure in fostering international artistic exchange. His Artista x Artista program has played a pivotal role in promoting residencies and collaborative projects between Cuban and international creatives.
The Ability to Dream, staged within the storied walls of the Águila de Oro, represents more than an anniversary celebration. It encapsulates a decade-long dialogue between artists, communities, and cultures. In reaffirming its mission, Galleria Continua’s Havana space stands not only as a symbol of artistic solidarity but as an evolving platform where collaboration and creativity continue to transcend borders, politics, and time.
