Ariel Cabrera Montejo

Born in 1982, in Camaguey, Cuba, Ariel’s exquisite oils, watercolors and graphite drawings explore the historical discourse between truth and fiction found within the archives of Cuban historical documents. Cabrera received his education from the Fine Arts Academy of Camagüey and the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) Havana, Cuba. He currently lives and works in New York.

In his work, Ariel recreates theatrical scenarios inspired by the historical periods like the Interwar Period (1879-1895) and the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898). His imagined subjects are anecdotal heroes, not depicted as the heroic characters like the traditional representations of heroes in the Cuban colonial paintings by Juan Emilio Hernández Giro, Leopoldo Romañach and Armando Menocal. They have carnal, ludic and sensual desires. His subjects are less military and more human, unlike traditional works from Cuban history where the heroes are portrayed as solemn figures on pedestals.

Artist CV

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Tregua Fecunda: Entre Eros y Martes

The first solo show in Europe by Cuban artist Cabrera Montejo