Tania Bruguera

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Tania Bruguera is a Cuban artist and activist known for her use of installation and performance to challenge power, politics, and history. She now works in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and leads media and performance at Harvard University. Her work has been shown in museums and festivals around the world, and it often puts social and political issues into public, participatory form.

Biography in brief
- Born 1968 in Havana, Cuba. She was born Tania Brugueras but changed her name at 18 as a personal political statement.
- Her father, Miguel Brugueras, was a diplomat and minister in the Cuban government, so the family moved often (Paris, Lebanon, Panama). She returned to Cuba in 1979.
- She studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana and earned an MFA in performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Bruguera founded Cátedra Arte de Conducta (Behavior Art School) in Havana, the first performance studies program in Latin America, hosted by the Instituto Superior de Arte.
- She taught at the University of Chicago (2003–2010) and has been a visiting professor at Università Iuav di Venezia in Italy.
- In 2021 she left Cuba after government actions that led to the release of imprisoned activists and took up a position at Harvard University.

Art and projects
- Tribute to Ana Mendieta (1985–1996): Bruguera recreated Mendieta’s works as a homage, linking personal history to broader art conversations.
- The Burden of Guilt (El peso de la culpa), 1997: A provocative piece in which Bruguera, naked, wore a lamb carcass and ate soil mixed with water and salt for about 45 minutes. The work explored how resistance can become a physical burden.
- Displacement (Destierro), 1998–1999: A behavior art piece highlighting unfulfilled promises of the Cuban revolution and calling on people to demand change.
- Cátedra Arte de Conducta (Behavior Art School), 2002: A space to train Cuban artists in new approaches and to question how art can transform ideology. The project has been described as institutional critique and social practice.
- Tatlin’s Whisper #6, Havana version, 2009: A microphone was opened for one minute, inviting audience voices. Military-dressed participants placed white birds on speakers, referencing a famous moment in Cuban history. The performance drew both praise and government condemnation; Bruguera’s passport was confiscated for six months and later returned in 2015.
- Immigrant Movement International (IMI), 2011–2015: Bruguera lived in Corona, Queens, with immigrants to study the realities they face, running workshops and opening a storefront to address immigration needs.
- Surplus Value and Arte Útil, 2012–2013: At Tate Modern, Surplus Value required visitors to pass a polygraph test about visa applications; Arte Útil (Useful Art) emerged from collaboration with the Queens Museum and Van Abbem Museum to promote socially useful art and to build an international network.
- The Museum of Arte Útil, 2013: A project expanding the Arte Útil concept through a broader international association.
- Tate Modern Turbine Hall commission, 2018: Bruguera covered part of the floor with heat-sensitive paint; when visitors stepped on it, a large portrait of a Syrian refugee was revealed—seen as a call to collective action.
- The Burden of Guilt at Pérez Art Museum Miami, 2021: The piece joined the museum’s collection as part of its new acquisitions.

Activism and key events
- Bruguera has been jailed and harassed by Cuban authorities for her public performances and campaigns, including the 2014–2015 period when she organized events in Plaza de la Revolución and supported the “Yo También Exijo” (I Also Demand) movement.
- Her detention drew international attention, with letters and media coverage from around the world. She was released, and her passport was eventually returned.
- In 2016 she launched INSTAR (Hannah Arendt Institute of Artivism) and a Kickstarter campaign to fund it, aiming to create spaces for peaceful civic dialogue and support for those with different political views.
- In 2017 she publicly discussed running for president in Cuba as a way to highlight the one-party system and push for change.
- In 2018 Bruguera was detained again ahead of protests against Decree 349, an abortion of government licensing for artists. She was released after a few days, but reports of house arrest and ongoing legal pressure followed.
- She has pursued legal action over state media coverage and has continued to advocate for freedom of expression.
- In 2020 she spoke publicly about health and safety concerns related to a high-pitched sound in her Havana home, a situation some compared to Havana syndrome.

Current status and impact
- Bruguera’s work has entered major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and her projects have appeared in major international venues such as Documenta (documenta 11 in 2002 and documenta 15 in 2022).
- She has influenced how artists use performance and social practice to address political issues, power structures, and the role of art in public life.
- Her career shows a persistent commitment to difficult conversations about freedom, democracy, and responsibility, both in Cuba and globally.

In short, Tania Bruguera is a pioneering Cuban artist whose work uses performance and public engagement to challenge authority and explore the relationship between art, activism, and society. She continues to influence contemporary art and civic dialogue through teaching, exhibitions, and collaborative projects around the world.