EXHIBIT OPENING Thursday, November 17, 2022 6PM-8PM
Exhibit November 17 - November 27 LUMAS Gallery, 159 Yorkville Avenue
This Thursday, don't miss over 19 new artists and 87 new works added to the LUMAS portfolio. Be the first to view and purchase these brand-new, limited edition artworks with special in-gallery promotions.
At the event you will also be able to pick-up our latest Art Magazine, featuring cover artist Carlos Gamez de Francisco.
As a pre-event teaser, we sat down and asked the Cuban-born painter and photographer a few questions about his background, work and his latest series, Modern Era.
Q. Being born and raised in Holguin, how has Cuba’s unique culture and education system influenced you?
A. Arts education starts at a young age in Cuba. I enrolled in an art school where we would practice 7-8 hours a day, teaching me discipline and routine. This mentality of hard work and persistence allowed me to grow more than some other artists, eventually leading to my first exhibition at 17.
Q. At the tender age of 5 you determined that you would be an artist. What led you to make this decision with such certainty when most adults don’t have a direct path in their careers?
A. This was the age I first consciously realized I saw the world in a unique way. I remember asking my father how we got water from the faucet in our house, and after he explained, I proceeded to draw what he had just explained. I was always so curious, drawing and sketching whenever I could.
Q. At 21 you decided to emigrate to the US with $650 in your pocket. Can you tell us about that transition and how you were able to build your career from the ground up?
A. I finished my schooling in Cuba at 21, my mother allowed me to move to the US. Landing in Kentucky, where my father lived, I immediately worked full-time as a shipper/receiver, at the same time studying English two hours a day and spending all my other free time painting. Three months later, I had my first solo show in the US and haven’t looked back.
Q. As an award winning photographer, how does that medium influence your painting?
A. I would say my painting more influences my photography. I view everything through the eyes of a painter because that is what I know best. At the same time, photography can be a much quicker process than painting, so it enables me to create a concept and test out ideas. I spend most of my days painting alone in my studio, so photography allows me to be social and engage with people, which I love.
Q. In your artwork, insects represent freedom, chaos, and balance. Can you give us some background on why these themes are incorporated into your work?
A. My grandfather was from Spain, and I remember him telling me about Salvador Dali, who often depicted insects in his work, creating meaning behind them. I took that idea and reinterpreted it to express topics that the Cuban people weren’t necessarily allowed to openly talk about.
Q. Like the LUMAS ethos of making art accessible to everyone, your portraits focus on everyday people with “found” objects. Why is it important to have diverse subjects in your work?
A. Growing up in Cuba, only the very wealthy were able to purchase art. Most of the population didn’t have a cell phone or internet access. I want my work to be a representation of everyone and be for everyone. We should all have the opportunity to appreciate and purchase art.
Q. You now call Florida home. What brought you there?
A. During the beginning of the pandemic, I was still working a lot, but I got to a point where I wrote down what I really wanted. One of those things was a home by the beach!
Q. If you can share with us, what can we look forward to from you in the near future?
A. I turned 35 in August, and upon some reflection, made the decision to try ideas that I’d been thinking about for a long time. I like to maintain a variety to my work, so I don’t get bored, but also so I keep pushing myself. Going out of my comfort zone/area of expertise might not always work out, but I will learn from those experiences and be a better person and artist because of them.
