Zane Bennett Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Message from La Habana, an exhibition of contemporary art by Cuban artists, the second part of a two part series on Latin American art. The opening is at the gallery, 435 South Guadalupe Street, across from the rail station, from 5:00‐7:00 pm, Aug 31st, to coincide with the Railyard Arts District Last Friday Art Walk.

Cuban artists today have the extraordinary good fortune of being their society’s super stars. In a society isolated from the industrialized world with travel restrictions for the average citizen, artists in Cuba make up an elite group that are allowed to travel abroad and make a living from their art by selling to collectors and curators who live outside their heavily controlled political world. The Cuban regime considers their artists to be the cultural wealth of the country, and therefore they are allowed to travel and represent Cuba on educational and cultural endeavors.

Ibrahim Miranda deals with “the damned circumstance of water all around” by creating maps that morph into the shape of a mental landscape, defining a state of mind. He creates his own cartography as an extended concept of the island of Cuba, using world cities such as London and Paris individually, which become their own frame of reference.

(text source: Zane Bennett Contemporary Art)

Ibrahim Miranda, 2004-2006, Ink and serigraphy on map, 150 x 25 cm; Courtesy of the artist.

More about Ibrahim Miranda (b. 1969, Pinar del Río, Cuba)

Ibrahim Miranda is a young Cuban artist who has gained international attention for his prints and paintings. A native of Pinar del Río, he attended the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana; shortly after graduation he began to exhibit in Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Spain and the United States.

Miranda frequently bases his work on maps of Cuba, emphasizing qualities of water and isolation and suggesting states of metamorphosis and change. The poetry and song of Cuba provide literary and philosophical ideas, deepening the meaning and impact of his prints and paintings.

(text source: University of South Florida)

Education:  Art's Superior Institute. Havana, 1988-93. Plastic Art's National School. Havana, (Engraver's specialty), 1984-88. Art's Elementary School. Pinar del Río, 1981-84.

Further information here....(ArtSlant Profile) (Artist's Website) (Galleries: Alonso Art, Couturier Gallery)

(Image on top: Ibrahim Miranda, 6 scrolls, ink and silkscreened on map, 10 x 77 inches (each); Courtesy of the artist and Zane Bennett Contemporary Art)