The sculptor, a Cuban artist, has never revealed the meaning of his work. The sculpture, called “Viaje Fant ástico” (Fantastic Voyage), depicts a voluptuous bald woman, nude but for her spike heels, sitting astride a rooster and resting an enormous metal fork on her right shoulder. Less clear is the meaning of another bronze sculpture, erected in 2012 in Plaza Vieja, a square just south of Plaza de San Francisco that became the site of the harbor market when the Franciscan monks objected to the noise of the market on their square. The artist’s apparent intent was to illustrate the frequent need for people who talk with each other to fill in the blanks in their expressed words. The elegant bronze sculpture, atop a marble plinth, portrays two people engaged in conversation, with large portions of their bodies missing. On May 25, 2012, the city dedicated a statue titled “La Conversacion,” or “The Conversation,”Ĭreated by a French sculptor and donated to Cuba by the French ambassador. As more visitors began arriving in the area, the government undertook efforts to give the square a less austere look. Today, Havana’s cruise ship terminal lies at the eastern edge of the square. Named after a Franciscan convent on the site, the square originally housed a market and later became notorious for its gambling activities, including cockfights. The Plaza de San Francisco was built in the 16th century just west of the Port of Havana. Statues recently placed on two historic Old Havana squares reflect a modern attitude in a nation not known for its openness.
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