Cuba: The Elusive Island, La Isla Elusiva. Tria Giovan

Cuba is so close to us, yet still so inaccessible. Since 1990 and as recently as 1996, photographer Tria Giovan has made nine trips to the elusive island, producing a collection of remarkable color photographs that capture the richness of Cuba in all its complex and enigmatic forms. Presented here are 103 compelling images from her travels, during which she has witnessed extraordinary changes and gained privileged access to an intimate side of Cuban life.

This is day-to-day Cuba on visual terms, conveyed through landscapes, urban scenes, portraits, still lifes, and interior views. Beautiful, melancholy, and sometimes disturbing, the images reveal the undaunted spirit of the Cuban people, the former grandeur and lingering beauty of the country, the integrity of its culture, and the timeless quality of life in Cuba as it proceeds amid a climate of uncertainty

The photographs are complemented by excerpts of text from a wide variety of contemporary and historical sources. All are in English and many are also in the original Spanish. Included are passages and poems from important Cuban writers - such as Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Alejo Carpentier, Heberto Padilla, and Fernando Ortiz - in addition to quotes from contemporary journalists, travel accounts, historical documents, and personal memoirs. The result is a compelling portrait of Cuba that is vastly different from that found in any existing book.