OUR MAN IN HAVANA
MICHAEL CHINNICI DISTILLS OVER 100,000 PHOTOGRAPHS INTO 300 IMAGES THAT MAKE UP HIS BEHEMOTH COFFEE TABLE BOOK, VANISHING CUBA. VOLUMINOUS, VIVID, AND MIRRORING THE REALITIES OF A MODERNISING CUBA, HIS WORK STRIVES TO BRING FIRSTHAND CONTEXT NEEDED FOR ANY EXPLORATION OF A COUNTRY TOO FEW OF US REALLY KNOW.
AS TOLD TO JULIAN MANNING
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL CHINNICI
Dozens of trips, and thousands of photographs later, Michael Chinnici has framed Cuba in a way many outsiders, and Cubans, have never experienced the mysterious and mesmerizing island nation. Intriguingly anecdotal and assiduously thorough, Chinnici’s coffee table book, which we discuss at N.Y.C.’s The Jane Hotel, heeds the trappings that come with documenting the relatively closed-off nation and all the colourful Caribbean clichés that appear easy to fall into—especially through the eyes of an American.
A child who hid under his school desk during Cuban Missile Crisis drills, decades later, Chinnici approaches documenting the country in a refreshingly unclouded manner. He puts the Cuban people and their stories at the forefront of his fascinating forays, focusing on the lives of ballerinas and boxers—some of the few civilians that can travel outside of the nation without connections or affluence—bygone markets, far-flung cities seemingly lost in time, and ‘the elegant crumble’ of family-owned restaurants and neoclassic structures.
So many of the people and places Chinnici dialled his camera in on have passed on from the streets they once defined; but they are remembered in his book, which ensures the dichotomy of Cuba’s changing society is imprinted in the minds of those curious enough to discover skillfully curated snippets of its everyday life. Flipping through the pages of Vanishing Cuba, you see more than surface-level subjects. Touching stories and amity fill the spreads, encouraging the reader to take a closer look at a country little known to most of the world beyond its name.
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Luxury Splash of Art Magazine is the brainchild of artists Kamila Krzyzaniak and Agnieszka Kowalczewska, both born in Poland and residing in London. Kamila is an architect and contemporary artist specializing in abstracts, and Agnieszka is known for her paintings on canvas and textiles.
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GET LOST MAGAZINE FEATURES VANISHING CUBA
It was so lovely to discover that I was featured in the December issue of Get Lost Magazine, a Melbourne Australia-based independent adventure travel magazine. My Vanishing Cuba photography is highlighted in the EXPOSURE section, where they select just two photographers a month.
Founded in 2004 by Publisher Justin Jamieson, the magazine seeks out unique travel experiences around the globe for travelers wishing to explore and take unforgettable holidays that are not found in brochures.
MIAMI’S PREMIER BOOKSTORE REVIEWS VANISHING CUBA
As many of you know, when I set out to publish my Vanishing Cuba book, my objective was to create something exceptional and not just another book.
I would soon find out if my seven years of photography and two years of writing, design, and production were about to deliver on that promise.
With the arrival of the first few samples of my book, I boarded a flight to Miami for Art Basel, where the Reserve Edition of my book would be showcased for the very first time. But my real interest would be a very special meeting we had set up months earlier.
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