![Yoan Capote, Abstinencia (Derechos), 2019](https://artlogic-res.cloudinary.com/w_1600,h_1600,c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/artlogicstorage/benbrown/images/view/009646481f68f67c517e4bd4ac2a122ej/benbrownfinearts-yoan-capote-abstinencia-derechos-2019.jpg)
Yoan Capote Cuban, 1977
The title translates to Abstinence (Rights).
Abstinencia is the title of the series – Yoan has done other editions with
words such as politics, religion, liberty and democracy. Yoan casts these hands
from anonymous individuals using sign language (each hand is from a different
person) and they are
sequenced to create words (here, derechos / rights), pointing to the inability
of common people to voice their concerns and their lack of decision-making
power on important social issues. For Yoan, abstinence in this instance is used in an
ironic way – it is a metaphor for self-censorship, lack of power and the fear
the Cuban population assumes in relation to the issues of politics, democracy,
liberty and human rights.