How Giselle Monzón Calero is shining a light on Cuban design
We speak to the graphic designer about growing up in Havana in the 80s, her ongoing love affair with posters and how she is helping to define a new era of creativity in her home country
Think about famous examples of Cuban design, and chances are the iconic graphic of revolutionary leader Che Guevera will be the first thing that springs to mind – but the visual history of the country extends well beyond a single image.
The advent of the Cold War era brought with it the formation of Fidel Castro’s OSPAAAL (Organisation of Solidarity of the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America), which produced an array of striking propaganda posters and magazines. More recently, government reforms introduced from the 1990s onwards have allowed local creatives to travel abroad and showcase their work more freely on the world stage.
Giselle Monzón Calero is one of the creatives at the heart of Cuba’s blossoming art and design industries. A leading figure in Havana’s graphic design scene, she has won widespread acclaim for her innovative poster designs for film, theatre and visual arts, as well as her work as a member of the Nocturnal Design Collective, which collaborates on an array of projects and puts on exhibitions of Cuban posters internationally.
