With its single horn, the beautiful, mythical unicorn represents innocence and purity and is often seen as a symbol of the LGBTQ community. To some, they may appear as charming characters, while others may view them as deformed, or as an object of ridicule. Drawing on these multi-layered interpretations of the creature, poet, playwright, and performer Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas connects unicorns with the utopias imagined by women and sexual minorities oppressed under Cuba’s enduring patriarchy. Under a seemingly paradoxical title, (meaning “I am not a unicorn,”) Cadenas entwines her own body with film, personal memory, and fantasy, weaving together lyrical poetry that yearns for freedom.

“My horns is not a deformity. My love is not a deformity. My nakedness is not a deformity.” The story that leads us to this raw poem begins with a video of a unicorn wandering the city of Havana who gains its horn, and with it, its identity (performed by Cadenas in a mask). Simultaneously, Cadenas arranges a collection of small unicorn figurines, constructing a world in itself on the stage. Echoing throughout the work is a message of empowerment and solidarity to the unicorns of the world, one that will likely also resonate with the unheard voices here in Japan.