Diango Hernández : Losing you tonight

Diango Hernández’s creative work is triggered by personal experiences and memories. Born in 1970, the artist grew up in Cuba. The memory of a sad event in his life provides the background to his artist’s book Losing You Tonight: one night shortly before his school graduation, a knife fight between two pupils—which led to one boy’s death from his injuries—took place in the dormitory of their boarding school. Some weeks later, Diango Hernández found a written text between that pupil’s mattress and bed frame; it was about his first encounter with art, in a very special place—a museum. Hernández links this memory to his general recollections of a school system that left little room to develop one’s individuality. He takes these threads and weaves a story using the means of fine art, a story in which everyday objects—functional, technical, and decorative fittings—play a part. For those who are capable of reading them, they are the material from which stories may be woven—personal histories, which perhaps contain more truth than the official version. This artist’s book comes in two volumes and is published on the occasion of Diango Hernández’ exhibition in the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, October 4, 2009 – April 5, 2010.