"Shared Horizons," the theme of the 15th edition of the Havana Biennial—an internationally renowned yet often debated art festival—served as the conceptual foundation for Food of War’s fourth edition of Edible Graffiti. The project was divided into two sections, with the first being created in the Los Pocitos neighborhood in collaboration with the Abakuá fraternity and their creative citizenship group, Akokán.
Ph: Renata Larroyd
The Abakuá secret society emerged in Cuba around 1820 among recent arrivals from Calabar, known as "Carabalí." It quickly gained followers among Black individuals—enslaved or free—mulattos, and even some poor whites in Havana and Matanzas. Amid heightened hostility toward enslaved people and Black communities, they found refuge in a mutualist organization that expressed their social and religious consciousness.
Food of War conducted a series of creative workshops with this community to craft an artistic and gastronomic proposal for Edible Graffiti. One installation was presented within the community, adorning the façade of the local doctor’s office, while the other was showcased at the entrance of the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wilfredo Lam, the Biennial’s official venue.