To be in the lead, in the front row, is understood as vanguard.
It is in this position where the most advantaged, the most capable, the most skilled and also the most cynical are found.I prefer to be behind and to be able to witness everything from there.
Diango Hernández
Eleven Mistakes is a series of 11 paintings made by the artist in 2005 during his stay in Trento, Italy.
These large-format works are very characteristic because they have been painted on the back of the canvas- inspired by that secret, inaccessible, isolated and economically depressed place that Cuba became during the socio-economic crisis that we know today as 'Periodo Especial' (1990 -1993) - direct consequence of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
These paintings represent the important changes in the political and economic system, in the production and communication models: a sudden change for the young Diango and millions of Cubans at the beginning of the nineties.
In the paintings we can see collapsed structures, broken electricity and communication cables, together with speakers that turn into flowers without a precise direction.
It is definitely a moment of great confusion where Fidel Castro's political discourse enters into crisis.
These works, together with a series of drawings, arrived at the Milan gallery between November 2004 and April 2005, thus forming the first exhibition project of the newborn gallery.
In 2005 Diango Hernandez was selected to participate in the Venice Biennale.
For space reasons, his works were not exhibited in the first gallery, but despite that, they immediately became very interesting for collectors.
A selection of drawings from this group of works were purchased by MoMA in 2007 and the paintings ended up in private collections.
"Estar delante del grupo, en primera fila, se entiende como vanguardia.
es en esta posición donde se encuentran los más aventajados, los más capaces, los más hábiles y también los más cínicos. Yo prefiero estar detrás y desde allí verlo todo".
Diango Hernández
