[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E647-E648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CUBAN-AMERICAN ARTIST XAVIER CORTADA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 1998

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Xavier 
Cortada for his newly unveiled exhibition entitled, ``Cubaba''. Having 
exhibited on four different continents, this month marks the inception 
of Xavier's first solo show in his hometown of Miami, Florida.
  Growing up Cuban-American in Miami was the foundation that inspired 
Xavier to paint the enlightening cultural celebration that is Cubaba. 
With combined elements of Hispanic culture and of Anglo-American 
college life, Xavier gave life to the feelings of ``identity and 
belonging, about then and now, about being Cuban, being American, being 
both and being neither.'' The renegotiation of identity that mirrors 
members of the Cuban generation who find themselves ``on the hyphen''.

[[Page E648]]

  The Miami-based artist is also an attorney and a community leader who 
is able to express his concerns for social and political issues while 
exploring topics such as community development, racism, violence, 
poverty, political freedom, AIDS, and Cuba.
  Prestigious accomplishments achieved by Xavier include having been 
commissioned to create public art for organizations such as Nike, HBO, 
MADD and Indiana's Governor's office. He has been commissioned to 
create community murals by museums such as the Lowe Art Museum, the 
Wolfsonian and the Miami Youth Museum.
  In Cubaba, this talented painter and social voice has reaffirmed the 
existence of biculturalism through his celebration of oil colors on 
canvas and expression of Cuban nostalgia and American reality.

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