No doubt one of the most misunderstood games on the planet (somewhere on the same level as “Curling” I’d imagine) Jai Alai has some of the best art direction in sports.  Awe at the “fastest sport in the world” – with a ball traveling up to 188 mph – is only eclipsed by the amazingly designed uniforms and perfectly art-directed courts.  Thanks to Florida and the Cubans in Hialiah for keeping this alive.  You can’t get much chic-er than this:

Reading in depth about Cuban poster art for that last post, I came across several references to Wilfredo Lam, the Cuban surrealist painter and his negritude take on the artistic schools of the day…

I love the amazing Surrealist / Cubist (influenced by his lifelong friendship and collaborations with Picasso) vibe that uses imagery and symbols from Santeria and his Afro-Cuban heritage. In 1943, he began his most well known work, The Jungle, which was ultimately purchased by the Museum of Modern Art N.Y. and was hung near Picasso’s Guernica.

Another ode to my mixed up DNA (my dad’s side hails from the fair Cuban isle)…

I just used a bunch of these vintage Cuban film and and political posters while designing the interior of The Blue Parrot restaurant in East Hampton this spring.  I think I will be papering a wall of my living room with these.  A great collection and accompanying history can be found here.

Apparently there is this great project called Ghost Posters which is a collection of 25 silkscreened movie posters for Cuban movies that were never made, either because the manuscripts for the films were censored or funding fell through. Each poster is made by a different Cuban graphic artist, and there are some really amazing pieces. It’s a great concept, and the posters are allegedly on tour and recently shown at Rutgers Univeristy. The project has a website, but it doesn’t list any future venues.

Images courtesy of Cuban Posters and Ghost Posters

I love old industrial cage lighting fixtures and fans. Just purchased a whole bunch for our redesign of the legendary Blue Parrot in East Hampton, set to reopen on Memorial Day weekend. Read more about the Parrot’s fabled history in this sad farewell by Forbes’ James Brady in 2005. After four years, The Blue Parrot reopens with a motley crew of former notorious patrons-turned-investors. So much fun to be able to work on this “Dirty Mexican” project from the ground up! Stay tuned for the opening weekend schedule and a peek at Jose’s crazy delicious menu.

I am obsessed with Desiree Dolron‘s eerily intimate portraits of Cuban life. Her photographs of classrooms, kitchens, and sitting rooms are Vermeeresque, dark but angelically lit, Dutch Master-style. The beautiful series, titled Te Di Todos Mis Sueños (I Gave You all my Dreams) is just one more reason for me to get back to the motherland.