February 1st-19th
Gallery hours:
Monday-Saturday, 11am-4pm
Tel. 01865-319450
Admission free

LINKS TO THE ARTIST:
www.docspopuli.org/CubaWebCat

For the first time in the UK, more than 50 original posters produced by OSPAAAL (The Organisation of Support for the peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America), an NGO created in 1966 by 82 representatives of governments and political movements from the three continents, will be on display.
The posters are short in word and long in design, making their message simple to understand without the barrier of language. They are virulently hostile to imperialism and colonialism, and make a unique and fascinating historical picture from the point of view of those whose byword was ’Victory or Death’.
OSPAAAL came into being against a background of the struggle against the yoke of colonialism, the fight against apartheid in South Africa, white domination in Zimbabwe, the problems of the Palestinians, the failed invasion of Cuba by the US, the Vietnam War and the actions of Che Guevara, still fresh from his success in the Cuban Revolution and now attempting to incite revolution in Bolivia.
As part of OSPAAAL’s propaganda drive, the organisation’s design and production department, based in Havana, produced during this period more than 300 different posters and around 9 million copies were distributed throughout the three continents.

Nowadays the posters are part of university and museum collections and have been displayed in important galleries throughout the world. The exhibition has been organised by the curatorial staff of the Soy Cuba Collection and with the help of members of St Edward’s School. The exhibits show the extraordinary creative skill of a little known band of Cuban graphic designers and artists.