The Havana Cultura Album 2009

The graphic design for Gilles Peterson’s Havana Cultura CD was entrusted to Alexandre Arrechea — a surprising choice, considering that Arrechea is not known as a graphic designer; he’s a Cuban painter, sculptor and conceptual artist who regularly shows his work in galleries and museums around the world. So Arrechea wound up doing what he does best. He created a piece of art.
His black-and-red CD sleeve is a homage to Havana, evoking walls layered with life and soul, a city boiling over with creativity — a perfect metaphor for the monumental, multi-layered musical offering within. Arrachea’s inside photo of a man carrying a load of bricks might be a wink in the direction of Peterson, who has, at times, staggered under the weight of his enormous record collection in London. For the cover of the CD package, Arrechea chose a lively photo of Peterson watching the world go by on a Havana street corner.