See the vibrant streets of Havana through the eyes of Cuban artist, Yosvany Martínez.
This exhibition at Te Pito Huarewa / Southbase Gallery takes you on a whirlwind tour of Havana, the capital city of Cuba. The exhibition is presented by the Embassy of Cuba, with support from the NZ Latin Community Development Trust. The exhibition opens at Tūranga on Wednesday 24th September 2025, and runs until Sunday 9th November. The exhibition dates have been specially chosen in tribute to the Day of Cuban Culture - traditionally celebrated on the 20th of October each year to commemorate the first performance of “La Bayamesa”, the Cuban National anthem, as it was sung in 1868 during the Battle of Bayamo.
Akin to a stroll through the city, Yosvany's prints offer the viewer a unique glimpse of the streets and buildings of Havana - as only an artist could know them. This exhibition invites you to journey through Havana, taking in iconic buildings and distant streets as glimpsed through an artist’s eye.
A body of 12 prints forms the cityscape, each embodying the spirit and rhythm of Havana. Visting this exhibition will give you a chance to get closer, to walk the streets of Havana as rich in history as the technique of each print.
A refreshing point of difference in this artwork, is the artist's inclusion of fibre. Yosvany uses Espartillo grass (known here as broad-kernel espartillo or puna grass) in all his pieces, a practise dating back almost three decades. In all his work, regardless of medium, this fibre appears - often referred to as 'the grass' by Yosvany. Considered a weed, Yosvany has elevated the grass, bringing it to new artistic heights as an intriguing textural addition to his pieces.
To accompany the exhibition, a book of Cuban artwork, Cuban Art: The Ascending Spiral was gifted to Christchurch City Libraries for its collection. This anthology, written by Roberto Cobas Amate, chronicles his achievements during his thirty plus year tenure at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Cuba. You can read this pukapuka in the stimulating surrounds of Yosvany's artwork whilst '...Never To Leave' runs and borrow it to take home with you once the exhibition closes.
Exhibition events
Cuban Film Nights
- Tuesday 7 October, 6pm: El mayor 2020 - Rigoberto López - 112 min
- Tuesday 14 October, 6pm: ¿Por qué lloran mis amigas? 2018 Magda González Grau - 80 min
- Tuesday 21 October, 6pm: Fresa y Chocolate 1993 Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Juan Carlos Tabío - 108 min
- Find out more
Cuban Chill-Out
Sunday 9 November 1.30pm to 4.30pm Cuban Chill-out [Art project + Buena Vista Social Club]
Find out more about Cuba
- If you're keen to delve further into Cuba and its culture, we have plenty of titles on offer.
- The official language of Cuba is Spanish. We have over 3000 Spanish titles in our collection.
- Our wide range of eResources allows you to enjoy stories in Spanish too, try LOTE for Kids to discover over 6000 titles to read with your tamariki.
- Our Mango Languages subscription will help you learn Spanish online for free.
Add a comment to: …Never to Leave: an Artist’s Journey Through Havana: Exhibition on until 9 November 2025