Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC)

The Fábrica de Arte Cubano is Havana's most exciting cultural space — a converted cooking-oil factory in Vedado that houses contemporary art galleries, performance spaces, a cinema, bars, and a dance floor in a single complex that has become the epicentre of Havana's creative scene since opening in 2014. FAC was founded by musician X Alfonso and represents the generation of Cuban artists who have found ways to create ambitious cultural projects within the constraints of Cuba's economic and political system.

The space operates on Thursday through Sunday evenings (entry is about CUP 100, extremely affordable), and the programme mixes visual art exhibitions, live music (from traditional son to electronic), film screenings, fashion shows, and the kind of multi-disciplinary cultural programming that creates an atmosphere more Berlin than Caribbean. The converted industrial space — exposed concrete, steel staircases, multiple levels connected by walkways — provides the raw backdrop that contemporary art thrives in.

FAC is where young Havana goes when the sun goes down — the crowd is local, fashionable, and engaged with the art in a way that suggests cultural production in Cuba is alive despite (or because of) the constraints. The rooftop bar, with views across Vedado to the Malecón and the ocean, provides the setting for conversations about art, politics, and the future of Cuba that are more honest than anything the museums offer.