The sisters, who have been working together on their separate artworks since childhood, said in an interview in Havana in April (2003) that the works in this show involved much more than the usual artistic process. They did library research for the proverbs and popular sayings "that help us to understand and deal with daily life" and scoured the street markets and homes of friends for old photographs and romantic postcards, as well as for objects they could recycle as art.

“Both in the representation and framing of the different works, we have tried to respect the style and the ways popular culture has been represented. The use of color, materials, three-dimensional objects incorporated to the surfaces, the pattern of the pieces themselves—all of these elements consistently work toward the same objective.”

In “Preserving Life” (Para conservar la vida), Jacqueline has created sardine cans using real fishtails and fins. Here, she shows how modern technology packages, preserves and sells life, species, turning everything that is interesting and sensitive into merchandise. Another of Jacqueline's installations, Vivir bajo palabra (Living by Words) consists of 20 pieces illustrating proverbs and popular sayings about the human condition, many universal in their meaning, such as “in the house of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” or “lucky in cards, unlucky in love.” Jacqueline uses recycled objects and creates a “moral teaching” with each painting.

Her third installation, “The Extension of Faith” (La extensión de la fe) addresses religion and its powerful traditions which Jacqueline sees as bringing people together throughout the world. The work is strong and the technique mixes elements of African religious symbols with a kind of imitative medievalism.

In El amor puede ser . . . (Love Can Be . . .), Yamilys uses old romantic postcards to illustrate the beautiful face of human relationships. But the engravings that surround them represent the other side of these relationships, that of unrequited love, cruelty and violence, and break-ups.

In Memorias de La Habana (Havana Memories), Yamilys again uses old photographs, but now they are images of Havana to which she adds her personal viewpoint regarding the picture's contents. Some of the works look at the 21st century through a glass darkly, all surrounded by color engravings which comment on the photograph.

Despojos humanos (Human Cleansing) represents the wishes and desires of people in religious ceremonies where sacred herbs, seashells and coins are combined to wash away evil. These materials are part of the artworks too.

Jacqueline and Yamilys, who speak in tandem, concluded: “Solo memoria is our attempt to both discover aspects of our own past and show everyone what we are like in Cuba today, carrying our entire cultural legacy on our shoulders. We also like to show the point of view of an underdeveloped society, one without the technology of more advanced countries.”

Our thanks to all those who helped us with this exhibit: Ralph Casado, Julio Mendoza, Jenny Rejeske, José Vidal.