Art and jazz

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, an important artist from post-revolutionary Cuba, has lived in the USA for many years. She completed her academic training at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, where she received her master's degree in painting and media art. She has been a professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville since 2017. Her work spans numerous disciplines, including photography, painting, sculpture, video, installation and performance, often in conjunction with language. Her art has been exhibited worldwide, including at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Biennale di Venezia. In Germany, her work has been shown at documenta 14 and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.

Campos-Pons deals intensively with colonization, forced migration and enslavement, particularly in relation to her own family history. The African part of her family worked under inhumane conditions on sugar cane plantations, while the Chinese branch was trapped in debt bondage in the sugar factories. She often links these themes with the myths of the West African Yoruba and the Afro-Cuban Santería religion. In addition, her work is dedicated to the themes of feminism, female sexuality and the role of women in society and art.

Campos-Pons' art is often based on timeless myths, which she magically makes tangible in a new way. Her works do not need to be "understood" in order to unfold their effect - they touch and speak directly. She is also closely associated with this year's motto of the Enjoy Jazz Festival 2024, "Healing". In 2020, she initiated the art and discussion series "Engine for Art, Democracy and Justice", which focuses on healing in times of social unrest and promotes dialog and inclusivity.

The art poster for the Enjoy Jazz Festival 2024 was designed by María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Festival director Rainer Kern met her during a project at Harvard University and was immediately impressed by her powerful, poetic work. Her connection to music can be seen in around 40 audiovisual works that she has created over 20 years with sound artist Neil Leonard. She is currently working with the musician Kamaal Malak.