"Dale Lengua," a Cuban popular expression, is a series of 40 serigraph/screenprint posters exhibited in 2019 in Havana, Cuba. Artists combined words and images to illustrate Cuban slang words and phrases through the use of vibrant images and novel artistic techniques, the specificity of the Spanish language, in particular, Cuban slang.
One poster was designed by Alucho, and another was designed by Alucho in collaboration with emerging female designer Alicia Fundora Rangel. The collection contains an accompanying Arte journal issue containing information about this limited edition commissioned for the 2019 Bienal de La Habana/Havana Biennial (International Biennial Art Fair).
Collection description from the catalog for the 2019 Bienal de La Habana: "El español hablado en Cuba tiene influencias de diferentes raíces, así como nuestra cultura, constituye una evidencia legítima del híbrido de nuestra identidad. La lengua es un sistema vivo que carga consigo historia y evolución, podría decirse que el ADN de una nación. Este proyecto ofrece un catálogo de algunos de los cubanismos más populares en la actualidad. A través del lenguaje del diseño gráfico serán ilustradas 20 frases y 20 palabras. Las propuestas reflejan el carácter popular de la tradición oral así como el espíritu espontáneo y picaresco de los cubanos." (Automated translation: "The Spanish spoken in Cuba has influences from different roots, as does our culture, and constitutes legitimate evidence of the hybridity of our identity. Language is a living system that carries with it history and evolution; one could say that it is the DNA of a nation. This project offers a catalog of some of the most popular Cuban-isms today. Through the language of graphic design, 20 phrases and 20 words will be illustrated. The proposals reflect the popular character of the oral tradition as well as the spontaneous and picaresque [lovable rogue] spirit of Cubans.")
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