Rebecca Locke

Ninety-Four Miles

Ninety-four miles is the shortest distance between Cuba and the United States, a stretch of sea, across the Straits of Florida separating two very different places and their dichotomous political ideologies. The aerial photographs plot this distance, effortlessly crossed by air, yet a challenge to traverse during the embargo. The azure blue of the Caribbean Sea obscures the dangers such a crossing entails.

The images are divided in triptych form, left to right from Havana to the edges of Florida, with further pictures defining the approach to Miami, the first major metropolis and cultural hub on US soil. Top to bottom the artist marks the separation of culture with a wallpaper depicting cars photographed on Havana streets juxtaposed with cars parked on the streets of Miami. The work explores the myth of place, the lure and perception of culture or material possessions, and the division of political ideas and principals.