By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
RED BANK – Imagine being an artist, recognized at a young age for your talent, but restricted from expressing yourself. Carlos Luna, a Cuban-born artist, has spent much of his time searching for a place to express his art freely.
Luna tells the tale of his journey seeking freedom – from Cuba to Mexico and finally Miami – through Free the People’s new film, “The Free Life: Portrait of an Artist.” The exclusive screening will be at the Basie Center Cinemas Oct. 12.
“Carlos found his art at a very young age,” said Terry Kibbe, who, along with her husband Matt, are founders of Free the People, an educational foundation that uses video storytelling to share the values of personal liberty and peaceful cooperation.
“When he was 13, his abuela – his grandmother – told him, ‘If you truly want to be an artist, you have to leave your home.’ ”
Kibbe explains that in high school, Luna created a series of drawings of Jose Marti, a 19th-century Cuban writer, poet and revolutionary beloved by many Cubans as a symbol of the country’s independence from Spain. But worship or veneration of revolutionaries who did not support communism was not appreciated by Fidel Castro’s government. Soon a trusted teacher warned Luna he was being watched. “Imagine being told that at that age,” said Kibbe.
At 20, Luna left his homeland for Mexico, where his art thrived and he met and married Claudia. “He became a famous contemporary artist in Mexico and Latin America,” Kibbe said, “acclaimed nationally.” Then a collector advised him to move to the U.S. for his career as an artist to soar. “He told him, ‘If you really want to play in the big leagues, then you have to move.’ ”
Luna, Claudia and their children moved to Miami. He is considered one of the few artists who have mastered multiple mediums, including drawing, painting, sculptures, ceramics, mosaics and jacquard tapestries.
“People immigrate for various reasons – artistic freedom, economic freedom,” said Kibbe.
“It’s been at a personal cost for Carlos,” she said. “It’s been a struggle. He left his family behind. He could not see his father before he died. He cannot return to see his family.”
The film premiered in Miami and was well-received by the large Cuban community there. Now, a New Jersey audience will hear Luna’s story.
“We’re always trying to reach new audiences,” Kibbe said. “One of the reasons we want to bring it to the Cuban community is so many of the second and third generations have forgotten why their families left (the island). We think it’s important” to remember.
Joe and Alice DiFiglia of Little Silver felt so strongly about bringing “The Free Life: Portrait of an Artist” and introducing Luna to the Two River community, they are hosting the Oct. 12 screening at Basie Center Cinemas. The Lunas will be on hand for a Q&A session.
“I’ve heard many different stories about Cuban people’s journey out of Cuba – pre- or post-Castro or during Castro’s regime – so it was interesting to me,” said Alice, whose parents come from Cuba and who was raised in a Cuban household in Holmdel. “I have family that were on the Mariel boatlift and family who had escaped under the cover of darkness just trying to get to the shore in Miami.” The Mariel boatlift was a mass exodus of Cubans who departed from the country’s Mariel Harbor for the United States in 1980.
“The theme always echoed was: There’s a better life there,” she said, referring to the U.S.
“(Luna is) the first person I spoke to who lived there during the regime,” said Alice. “I’ve heard stories third-hand, but never from someone who lived during the oppression. And how strongly he felt he needed this for his art.”
The DiFiglias have invited their friends, associates and the public to the screening.
“There are so many Cubans in our network in Monmouth County, I’d like to share this film with them,” said Joe, who has been involved in similar documentaries such as “The Hong Konger” by the Acton Institute about Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong businessman and politician imprisoned for organizing protests, among other charges.
The message, he said, is not just for Cuban émigrés. “It’s not just about Cuba,” Joe said. “You see it happening in Venezuela” and other countries.
“Rightly or wrongly, a lot of this generation takes freedom for granted,” he said. “It’s important to get this word out. So when I see a film like this that can make an impact, I want to share it.”
The article originally appeared in the October 3 – 9, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
