Mihaela Ion, PhD had a discussion with Samuel Hernández Dominicis, delving into the details of the research grant provided by the Archives de la critique d’art in Rennes. The focus of their conversation was the significant influence that this grant has had on Samuel’s work. The grant is provided on an annual basis to just one member of the AICA organization who has shown a keen interest in exploring and researching the vast and valuable resources contained within the AICA archive.
Samuel Hernández Dominicis elaborated on his process of writing the application, detailing the new connections he uncovered between the AICA and its Cuban as well as American sections. He spoke about the research he conducted, the hours he spent poring over documents, and the insights he gained while examining the relationships between these entities.
The discussion also delved into the AICA Cuba section. There was a focused exploration of this particular section, providing valuable insights and perspectives, and how it was 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.
