Most of the twelve artists featured in New Outsider Art From Cuba have no formal art training and have struggled with some form of mental or emotional illness. The exhibition is organized by NAEMI (National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill) with the goal of raising public awareness of the existence of art created by these “outsider” artists in Cuba.

NAEMI was founded in 1988 by Juan Martin, who at the time worked as a counselor to mentally disabled persons in Miami.  He encouraged his patients to create art as a way to distract themselves from their troubles. He came to realize the powerful expressions that were fueled by their unique perspectives. He established NAEMI to promote these unknown artists and to support art as a way of therapy.

This exhibition includes work by Adrián Horta, Boris Santamaria, Carlos Javier Garcia Huergo, Damián Valdés Dilla, Isaac Crespo, Leonel Fernández Ocampo, Luis manuel Otero Alcántara, Misleidys Castillo, Roberto Ofarrill Multan, Pedrp Pablo Bacallao Perdomo, Adrián Ramón Pérez Strazhevich, Martha Iris Pérez Santana.

NAEMI is an organization dedicated to collecting, displaying and selling art by persons in recovery from mental illness.  The organization has been a pioneer in supporting “outsider” art by developing various projects, conferences, workshops and activities with experts in visual arts, literary and mental health professions.

The exhibition is a collaboration of the National Art Exhibitions of the Mentally Ill (NAEMI) with Art Brut Project Cuba and Daniel Klein from the Gallery Christian Berst in Paris.