In this episode, Mihaela Ion, PhD, speaks with Samuel Hernández Dominicis about the research grant awarded by the Archives de la critique d’art in Rennes and the impact it had on his work. The grant is awarded annually to one AICA member who is committed to exploring and researching the rich resources of the AICA archive.
Samuel reflects on his application process and the new connections he uncovers between AICA and its Cuban and American sections. He discusses his research, the many hours spent in the archive, and the insights gained while tracing these relationships.
The conversation also turns to the AICA Cuba section, offering a closer look at its history, significance, and how it is reinstated as an active AICA section under Samuel’s presidency.
About the moderator
Mihaela Ion holds a Ph.D. in History and is a curator, cultural manager, and art researcher based in Bucharest. Since 2021, she has been a member of AICA and has served as an International Board Member since 2022, as well as a member of the Digital Strategies Committee. Over the past 18 years, she has presented papers on Communist art, cultural wars, and contemporary artwork at leading conferences across Europe. Mihaela collaborates with several art galleries and museums throughout the continent. Her Ph.D. thesis focuses on the heritage of Communist-era artworks.
Mihaela has also worked as a cultural manager in London with body>data>space, and in Paris, Sélestat, Strasbourg, and Nancy during her Courants du Monde grant from the French Ministry of Culture. In 2010, she co-founded Atelierul Magazine, an active international online and offline platform that fosters intercultural dialogue between design creators and the public. Her recent cultural expertise in project evaluation was demonstrated through her work with Apexart in New York.
About the speaker
Samuel Hernández Dominicis (Havana, Cuba, 1987) holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Havana (2011) and an M.A. in Art Studies from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico (2019). He is a researcher, lecturer, curator, and art critic. At Arte Cubano Ediciones, he served as editor of the journal ArteSur and was part of the team that initiated the Institutional Collection of the National Council of Visual Arts (CNAP). He was also Deputy Director of the Center for the Development of Visual Arts (CDAV) and Visual Arts Advisor to the National Directorate of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS). Since 2018, he has been a faculty member at the Instituto de Cultura Superior (ICS), where he teaches in the undergraduate Art History program, and since 2022, he has also been part of the Centro de Estudios Visuales (CEVI), contributing to diploma programs in Art History and Modern Art.
He is a member of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), where he serves on the Executive Committee of the Cuba Section; a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA), currently on its international board (2025), and President of the AICA Cuba Section; a member of the Visual Arts Section of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC); and part of the Latin American Public Art Studies Group (GEAP Latin America), coordinating its Cuban branch. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Modern Literature at Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico. His recent research examines the roles of women and homosexuals in shaping discursive categories such as 'the people' and 'the enemy' within populist and totalitarian processes.