An exhibition of new paintings by Antonio Guerrero, one of five Cuban intelligence agents imprisoned in the US in a case which sparked international outrage, goes on display in London on Wednesday. Here is a preview of ’Absolved by Solidarity’, along with other paintings by Guerrero, who learned to paint from a fellow inmate.
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This new painting from ‘Absolved by Solidarity’ reflects an unusual show of support after the guilty verdict was handed down when the Five were applauded by other prisoners as they returned to their cells.
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The new works are being exhibited alongside Guerrero’s 2013 set, called ‘I Will Die the Way I’ve Lived’. This painting is called ‘Night Watch’.
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Guerrero, now 56, has served 16 of his 21-year and 10-month sentence. The original sentence in 2001 of life plus 10 years was reduced on appeal.
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The Cuban Five, also known as the Miami Five, were arrested in 1998 on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage. Their trial was regarded by many as a miscarriage of justice because of the excessive sentences and the fact that it was held in Miami, which has a history of hostility towards the Cuban government. In Cuba, portraits of the Five are ubiquitous – this is a street poster in Old Havana.
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To combat the everyday pressures of prison life, Guerrero began doing pencil drawings and then progressed to water colours, receiving donations of art supplies and books from supporters over the years.
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Exhibitions of his work have toured the US and have also gone on show in London and Glasgow.
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In his notes for ‘Absolved by Solidarity’, Guerrero says: “We never saw ourselves as defeated, knowing that we stood absolved by the many honest men and women in the world who have now formed a continuous wave of solidarity”.
