Alina Bliach of West Windsor presents a photography exhibit at the Gallery at Mercer from Saturday, June 13, to Wednesday, June 24. “A Voyage of Many” includes both images and stories of 45 Cuban immigrants from the past half century in their new American homeland. Each photograph is accompanied by a printed excerpt from interviews Bliach conducted. The photos and narratives tell stories of forced exile, escape, loss, hope, and triumph.
A reception with the artist will be held on Saturday, June 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours for the show are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, June 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Since the 1960s more than 1 million Cubans have immigrated to the United States including the children of the Peter Pan flights, the people of Camarioca, the Freedom Flights, the Mariel Boatlift, the people known as the Balceros, and the Immigration Visa Lottery winners,” says Bliach. “Theirs are the stories of sacrifice, perseverance, and survival in their ultimate quest for freedom. These are their portraits.”
Bliach was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1960. “I grew up in Cuba till the age of 7,” says Bliach. Her mother was a pharmacist, and her father was a businessman who owned three pharmacies and a wholesale house.
“My parents also owned a small farm and various other properties,” Bliach says. “I also have memories of my father sneaking in food from his farm in the country. There were checkpoints along the way. The military police would inspect vehicles to make sure people were not bringing food from the country into the city. It was illegal to bring anything back.”
Her father had a friend in the Spanish embassy who helped the family sneak her mother’s diploma and pharmacy license out of the country. Her parents ultimately owned a pharmacy in New York City for 25 years. They are now in their 80s and retired.
“I came to the U.S. in April of 1968,” Bliach says. “I came with my mother and younger sister. My father and two older sisters had left Cuba a few months before, via Spain. We were not allowed to leave together. My parents felt it would be best if three could get out and hoped that we would soon be joining them.”
She received a bachelor of science in pharmacy in 1986 from Long Island University in New York. She worked in retail pharmacy and for McNeil Pharmaceuticals.
Bliach lived in Plainsboro and moved to West Windsor in 1992. Her husband, Julius, is a pharmacist. “We actually met in pharmacy school,” shes says. “We own a pharmacy in West New York, NJ, Marin Pharmacy. I feel extremely fortunate to have such a supportive husband. I could not do what I am doing if it were not for him.”
Their daughter, Stephanie, graduated from Rutgers with a degree in video production. She currently heads the bakery and beverage bar for Mrs. Greens in West Windsor. Their son, Andrew, is a student at Rutgers. He will be graduating in the fall with a degree in human resources.
Unable to stay away from her life’s passion, Bliach returned to school and earned her associate of fine arts in photography from Mercer Community College in 2006. Bliach has won numerous awards and honors including a finalist in Best of Photography 2013; first and second prize honors in the Pollux Awards; merit awards in the Professional Photographers of America International competitions; PPA Loan Collection honor; Hasselblad Photographer of the Month; and a several International Photography honorable mentions.
Her work has been exhibited at the Borges Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina; The Room in SoHo, NY; Arts Council of Princeton; Grounds for Sculpture; Phillips Mill in New Hope, Pennsylvania; Artworks in Trenton; and Art Along the Fence in Hoboken. Bliach’s portraits are rich in detail that connects their subjects to their Cuban heritage.
She is pursuing a master’s in fine arts degree at Savannah College of Art and Design, and “A Voyage of Many” is the focus of her thesis. “My uncle Miguel was a master carpenter, who became a political prisoner in Cuba in the 1960s, and was the impetus behind this body of work. I had always wanted to photograph and interview him. But when he became ill, I lost my opportunity to record his story. It was then that I realized the importance of preserving this period of Cuban-American history.
“It’s been more than 55 years since Castro came into power in Cuba. Many of those that immigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s are now in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Their images and stories had not been documented. It is because of their advancing ages that I felt a need to photograph not only these immigrants, but also those that have come after, and retell their stories of leaving Cuba for a new life. Like all those pictured on the walls of the gallery, I too have vivid memories of my journey to the United States, and include my own story.
“As people who left our homeland, we lost much, not only materially, but emotionally. Many of those photographed experienced the pain and anguish of leaving loved ones behind; some experienced the physical pain of forced labor and beatings; some lived through severe intimidation and verbal abuse. Many others witnessed atrocities committed by an oppressive regime.
“This body of work is based on my personal interview with each of these immigrants. Though the stories are individualistic to the person photographed, each of the 50 portraits on the walls in turn represent the thousands of others who also had similar experiences.
“I would like to see this work travel to different galleries and museums throughout the country. I am hoping that it becomes part of a permanent collection at a university or museum. I am also working on a book for this work, which I hope to have finished by the end of the year.”
A Voyage of Many, Mercer Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Saturday, June 13, 6 to 8 p.m. Opening reception. On display to June 24. 609-570-3613. www.mccc.edu.
