The 11^th Havana Biennial is right around the corner and for the first time a local Surinamese artist has been selected by the curators to participate in this renowned art event. Surinamese artist Marcel Pinas has been invited to exhibit at the Biennial and the artist has travelled to Cuba to construct and present his culturally inspired art installation Sanfika (What is left behind), which consists of 10,000 engraved aluminum spoons hanging on nylon threads, from a large suspended metal frame.

Marcel Pinas whose work has been exhibited in many countries around the world, has received widespread recognition for his international achievements in the area of art, but even more so for what he has achieved through his art and art career for the communities in his home district Marowijne in Suriname. Because of his work as an international artist, as a community builder and a true leader advocating and realizing change in his home country, Marcel Pinas was nominated and then elected as Young Global Leader (YGL) to the Young Global Leaders Forum, by the World Economic Forum in 2010.

So from May 11^th thru June 11^th Marcel Pinas will expose a large international audience at the 11^th Havana Biennial to one of the works of art in which he tells the story of the rich and valuable heritage of the Surinamese maroon tribes. A heritage and a culture which can only be kept alive when it is actively passed along from generation to generation; a culture which Marcel Pinas strives to preserve through his art and through educating and inspiring the younger generations who are in danger of losing sight of their heritage. However striking and contemporary the art of Pinas is, it is irrevocably fraught with elements, signs and symbols from the culture and traditions of his ancestors who escaped the bonds of slavery to start their own unique communities in the jungles of a country that was not then, but did later become their home. A people of whom many have experienced significant loss and suffering due to a civil war in the interior of Suriname during the latter part of the 20^th century. Through his international art career Marcel Pinas is building a worldwide platform for his extensive multidisciplinary projects in the district of Marowijne in Suriname, which include an art school and cultural center, called Tembe Art Studio (TAS), an art park, the Contemporary Art Museum Moengo (CAMM) and a residency program for local and international artists. Pinas’ many projects directly involve and benefit the affected local communities that are in need of new social and economic perspectives for present and future generations. Pinas strongly believes that art has the power to bring about change.

What better time than this year’s Havana Biennial for Marcel Pinas’ socially engaged art to join the lineup of artists who will present their work within the theme of ‘Artistic Practices and Social Imaginaries’ that is explored in this 11^th edition of the Biennial. In the curatorial text the curators state: “We must point out that when we speak of social imaginary, we are not referring to a theoretical body, but to the way people imagine their social space and express themselves through cultural and historical references, and to the symbolic dimension they acquire through art”. Indeed, with his work Marcel Pinas has a great deal to contribute to the discussions which are sure ensue during the course of the 11^th Havana Biennial. During the Biennial Marcel Pinas will also hold several presentations about his work.

For more information on Marcel Pinas please visit www.marcelpinas.com / www.kibiifoundation.org / www.readytexartgallery.com/marcelpinas. For more information and/or visual materials please contact Readytex Art Gallery by telephone on ++(597) 421750 or  via e-mail at .