The Dragons from the Castle Ate My Most Sensitive Parts

Kristal King

This past Sunday I dropped by the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in order to visit Esterio Segura’s work in his first solo exhibition in the United States. Esterio was born August 1970 in Santiago de Cuba where he went to school at Escuela Elemental de Artes Plásticas of Camaguey and Escuela Provincial de Artez Plasticas y Ballet. Later on in life he began instructing at Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, which lasted five years from 1989-1994.

MOLAA has two rooms dedicated purely to Segura’s sculptures, drawings, and instillations; which makes sense because most of his pieces are quite sizable.  It’s been 16 years since his last solo show and he must have had time to sincerely delve into his art. Most of the pieces I viewed were mixed media on linen with limited color involved.  It was an apparent theme through out the exhibit of comparing man made things like trains, bridges, power lines, and cranes to the human male body. A quote from Esterio stood alone on the wall, “I developed a reflection on architecture and man, and vice-versa. Architecture is functional, and describes us in a philosophical and human way. All in all, the human form is an architecture shape.” I think this is a somewhat superficial description of the pieces shown, but I can appreciate the small glimmer of what was going on his mind when creating them.

            My favorite by far was Los Drangones del castillo me comieron los partes mas sensibles, or, The Dragons from the Castle Ate My Most Sensitive Parts made in 1996 with watercolor, India ink, and pencil on paper. Even without knowing the history of Cuba, the title of this piece would have led me to believe that the ruler or his supporters were seeking to weaken and harm the subject. It shows a total of five dragons attacking a naked and vulnerable man. His chest is bloody, as if it has already been thoroughly gnawed and the dragons moved onto his hands, eyes, and groin area. I think this symbolizes the complete control Fidel Castro tried to have over his people. I am surprised there is not an additional dragon assigned to his mouth.

The political and social aspect to this particular piece transcends a feeling of anxiousness and angst. Putting myself in his position, I can see how frustrating and disabling it must have been to grow up in a place that limits your freedom to such a far extent. I admire the courage of this piece, and the statement behind it. I can see various line variations, successful value, and correct proportions of his subject. Not only is this piece a cultural narrative but also it is visually stimulating and simply beautiful. I really enjoyed the work I saw by Esterio, and hope to see more in the future.