The Great Explosion, Matanzas 2022 site-specific graphite wall drawing; The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Miami. Courtesy of the artist and David Castillo
Novoa created this work for the exhibition to draw attention to the political landscape and recent events in Cuba. In August 2022, a reported lightning strike at a fuel storage facility in Matanzas killed several people including firefighters who were using decaying equipment. A toxic plume of smoke engulfed Matanzas and traveled more than 60 miles to Havana.
While a large-scale evacuation ensued, little official information about the disaster was offered to a population already struggling with severe fuel shortages and power outages. As Novoa’s drawing beckons visitors to become immersed in the drawing and to look more closely at his deliberate rendering of the shoreline, it also encourages further consideration of power imbalances and inequity.