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The Cuban Arts Group

The Cuban Arts Group dedicated a decade (2015-2026) to supporting Cuban art. After 60+ projects and hundreds of artists, our active non-profit has closed.

This page now serves as a permanent digital archive to honor their lasting legacy. ABOUT THE CUBAN ARTS GROUP

Dedicated to enriching and strengthening cross-cultural connections through the arts of Cuba, The Cuban Arts Group, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization*, is a collaborative effort between those passionate about the arts, and history, from the U.S. and Cuba. Founded in 2015 by Susie and Mitchell Rice, the Cuban Arts Group builds on cultural evolution that has taken place-- and continues to grow-- both on the island and throughout the U.S. Cuban diaspora. The organization’s mission is to educate Americans about Cuban arts and culture through thoughtfully curated exhibitions and a diverse educational arts programs including discussions, lectures, involving Cuban artists, art educators, curators, historians, and writers throughout. WHAT IS CUBAN ART? Cuban art, offers a cosmopolitan blend of the various cultures that have been blended together over the past five centuries of the island’s life. Contemporary Cuban art expresses feelings, emotions and philosophies of Cuban artists over the past 50 years. Cuban art is artistically beautiful, innovative and contemplative. FIRST EXHIBITION TAMPA

Tampa has developed into a cultural hub and international travel destination. The Tampa Museum of Art hosts world-class art exhibitions. The annual Gasparilla Festival of the Arts selects nearly 300 of the world’s leading artists to showcase their work here annually. Museums dedicated not only to visual arts but to history, science and culture are located in Tampa as well. The histories of Tampa and Cuba are as closely intertwined as the to***co leaves used to craft a hand-rolled cigar. Cubans were among the early immigrants who settled in Ybor City and built an industry based on ci**rs into worldwide fame for Tampa. Interestingly, connections with Cuba include a small plot of land that the Cuban government has owned since 1956 that is located in Ybor City. Generations of Cuban families continue to call the Tampa Bay area home and others, with ties to Cuba, continue to move here to live, work and raise families in Tampa’s multi-cultural community. The Cuban Arts Group provides an opportunity to continue to build on the cultural legacy between Tampa and Cuba. The first exhibition will showcase the works of established and emerging artists from Cuba using pieces on loan from private collections to create a world-class exhibit. Artists whose works are rarely seen outside of Cuba will finally be able to share their art with the world. Individuals allowing select works from their collections to be included in the exhibit would provide access to art that would not otherwise be publicly displayed. Through the support of Tampa Bay community leaders and art supporters, Tampa has the opportunity to be the epicenter to educate and share the Cuban plight, a 50-year-long story. Through this collection, The Cuban Arts Group will reveal the past, present and future of Cuba’s visual arts and its artists.

31/05/2026

Endings, Beginnings, and a Decade of Cuban Art

After ten incredible years, a full decade of celebrating and supporting Cuban art, The Cuban Arts Group is officially closing its doors.

What started as a vision to amplify Cuban voices grew into something so much larger than we could have ever imagined. Over the past ten years, we have had the profound honor of collaborating on more than 60 transformative projects. We’ve had the privilege of featuring hundreds of visionary artists and showcasing countless artworks that have sparked dialogue, challenged perspectives, and bridged cultures. To every artist, curator, partner, and supporter who walked this path with us: thank you. You were the heartbeat of this organization.

While this chapter as an active non-profit is coming to a close, the legacy we’ve built together will remain. We want to ensure that the incredible work of these artists continues to be accessible. Moving forward, our website and all of our social media channels will transition into a permanent digital archive. You will still be able to explore the exhibitions, revisit the projects, and discover the hundreds of artists who have graced our platforms over the last decade.

Cycles end so that new ones can begin. Though The Cuban Arts Group is wrapping up its active operations, the spirit of the art, the connections we’ve made, and the cultural impact of our community will continue to resonate.

Thank you for an unforgettable decade. 🇨🇺✨

With deep gratitude,

The Cuban Arts Group

21/05/2026

Studio Spotlight: Jesús Torres Alfonso (Zapaflora)

This week’s Studio Spotlight features the work of Cuban artist Jesús Torres Alfonso, known artistically as Zaplaflora. Rooted in a deeply personal visual language, his paintings emerge from instinct, imagination, and an enduring emotional connection with nature. Rather than reproducing existing images or adhering to established artistic conventions, Zaplaflora creates original compositions where flora, fauna, symbolic forms, and vibrant color contrasts coexist in dynamic balance. His works explore the relationship between humanity and the natural world, while also reflecting on the search for psychological, spiritual, and ecological harmony. Through layered symbols, shifting perspectives, and forms that appear in constant movement, his paintings invite viewers into immersive landscapes where memory, emotion, and imagination intertwine.

Born in Cuba in 1960, Jesús Torres Alfonso (Zaplaflora) began his artistic journey in childhood, inspired by the lush landscapes of the Caribbean. Trained as an engineer in Cuba, he later incorporated this structural knowledge into his artistic practice while continuing his studies in painting in Havana during the 1980s. Since emigrating to the United States in 1997, he has lived and worked in Miami, developing an internationally recognized body of work exhibited across the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. His paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions, including the 2022 Florida Biennial at the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, and his work has received multiple awards and distinctions.

Images and text: Courtesy of the artist

20/05/2026

Abel Barroso
b. Pinar del Río, Cuba, 1971; resides in Havana, Cuba
Home
2011
Wood and ink
19 ½ x 14 9/16 x 24 in. (49.5 x 37 x 61 cm)

Abel Barroso studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) and the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana. Part of the 1990s generation of Cuban artists, Barroso is known internationally for merging printmaking and sculpture in his humorous and biting commentaries. His concerns extend beyond Cuba as he addresses the global issue of migration and its social implications and costs.

In Home, Barroso addresses the trauma of displacement and migration using the backpack as a symbol for the concept of ‘home’ as an extension of both psyche and body. The migrant’s backpack holds the past, present, and future―the means of survival, the guides to reach the next destination, and the mementos of life left behind.

This work exemplifies Barroso’s signature integration of sculpture and meticulous woodcutting techniques.

✍️Gabriela Azcuy and David Horta
📚Published in “Under the Spell of the Palm Tree: The Rice Collection of Cuban Art” (p.p. 136-139). Madrid, Spain: TCAG, 2025

14/05/2026

Studio Spotlight: Damián Pozo

In this week’s edition of Studio Spotlight, we visit the studio of artist Damián Pozo in Havana.

Reflecting on his practice, the artist explains that his work examines the standardization and manipulation of collective imaginaries, questioning how these constructions influence the behavior and development of communities. Through striking visual compositions, Pozo draws from popular and everyday icons, recurring objects, archetypal characters, social media imagery, and forms of collective entertainment. Appropriating the visual and conceptual qualities that allow these symbols to shape public perception—whether through color, narrative, or political and social associations—he combines pictorial and installation-based techniques to explore the tensions between mass culture, ideology, and contemporary experience.

Born in Havana in 1999, Pozo graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro and the Higher Institute of Art (ISA). He currently serves as a professor at the National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro. His artistic trajectory includes five solo exhibitions, among them Estéticos integrados at Galería La Nave in 2025, as well as participation in more than ten group exhibitions.

Images and texts: Courtesy of the artist

13/05/2026

Behind the Scenes: “Sibila” by Héctor Daniel Palacios

En este reel, el artista Héctor Daniel Palacios comparte en detalle el proceso de creación detrás de la pintura “Sibila”.

La pieza forma parte de la selección del concurso Prisma 11 Perfil, dedicado al retrato, y fue reconocida con el premio colateral otorgado por nuestra Fundación.

A través de un proceso de trabajo minucioso, la obra evidencia un profundo dominio técnico y material, acompañado de una sólida construcción conceptual que sitúa la práctica del artista dentro de las exploraciones contemporáneas de la pintura y la representación.

12/05/2026

Dúo René Francisco-Ponjuán
Havana, Cuba, 1986-1996
René Francisco Rodríguez, b. Holguín, Cuba, 1960; resides in Madrid, Spain
Eduardo Ponjuán, b. Pinar del Río, Cuba, 1956; resides in Havana, Cuba and Madrid, Spain
Arte (Art)
1994
Mixed media on canvas, metal, wood, glass and repurposed soda cans
12 x 10 x ¾ in. (30.5 x 27 cm) each canvas and 12 x 4 x 4 in. (30.5 x 10 x 10 cm) each lamp

Eduardo Ponjuán and René Francisco worked as a creative duo for a decade. They made art that stood out in the crisis following the decline and fall of the socialist bloc in the early 1990s, a time when Cuban art delved into self-reflexive agony trying to express the challenges on the horizon.

In Arte (Art), the letters appear to glow and flicker, creating the trompe-l’oeil of a neon sign. Lacking any electric source, the only possible light is represented by dual chismosas―handmade kerosene lamps of repurposed materials used in dimly lit Cuban homes during the routine power outages of the early 1990s.

The work, part of a larger installation titled Dream, Art, and Market, represents the power of art to enlighten, as a beacon of promise surging through the physical and spiritual darkness of its time.

✍️Gabriela Azcuy and David Horta
📚Published in “Under the Spell of the Palm Tree: The Rice Collection of Cuban Art” (p.p. 232-235). Madrid, Spain: TCAG, 2025

06/05/2026

Studio Spotlight: Ismael Olazabal

In this week’s Studio Spotlight, we visit the studio of Ismael Olazabal in Havana, Cuba. Reflecting on his practice, the artist states:

“Through intervened archives and self-generated materials, I dismantle dominant visual narratives in order to rehistoricize working-class memory. From a dialectical and generational perspective, I move between the historical and the affective, activating stories left untold by centers of power. My work draws on a range of techniques, including painting, drawing, AI software, soft sculpture, and donated objects.”

Olazabal’s work engages critically with the politics of memory and representation, foregrounding marginalized histories through material and conceptual strategies. His practice constructs a layered visual language in which archival intervention becomes both a tool of resistance and a means of reimagining collective identity.

About the artist: Ismael Olazabal (Camagüey, 1997) is a visual artist trained in architecture. His recent career has been marked by significant recognition within the Cuban art scene, including the Antonia Eiriz Creation Grant (AHS, 2026), a collateral award from The Cuban Arts Group at Prisma 11 (Havana, 2026), and multiple prizes at the Salón Gestos, Salón de la Ciudad, and the Malayerba Young Art Competition. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions across Havana, Camagüey, and Santiago de Cuba, and in 2026 he presented his first solo exhibition, Lo prometido, at Casa México, Havana.

Images: Courtesy of the artist

05/05/2026

Eduardo Ponjuán
b. Pinar del Río, Cuba, 1956; resides in Havana, Cuba and Madrid, Spain
Desgarrón (Ripped Paper)
2014
Oil on canvas
78 ¾ x 98 7/16 in. (200 x 250 cm)

Eduardo Ponjuán’s essential contribution to Cuban contemporary art is three-fold: as a prominent painter, draftsman, installation, and conceptual artist; in a creative duet with artist René Francisco who is also represented in the exhibition; and in ground-breaking work as professor at Havana’s Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA).

“Desgarrón” (Ripped Paper) is a poignant reflection on the meaning of existence. The page is stark white―the color of death in Japanese culture―evoking silence, uncertainty, fear, creative blockade, nothingness, and death. Life, creativity, truth, and the expression of the self, boil inside, tearing the skin of the spirit. Created after the death of the artist’s mother, this work embodies a deeply personal response to loss.

This meditation on existence draws on the influence of Zen philosophy and arts―predominantly the paper craftsmanship of Japanese origami, calligraphy, and ink landscape painting. It echoes the beautiful simplicity and the profound wisdom of Zen koans and haikus.

✍️Gabriela Azcuy and David Horta
📚Published in “Under the Spell of the Palm Tree: The Rice Collection of Cuban Art” (p.p. 62-65). Madrid, Spain: TCAG, 2025

30/04/2026

Studio Spotlight: Darián Gallardo

In this section of Studio Spotlight, we visit the studio of Havana-based artist Darián Gallardo. His practice begins with an attentive analysis of his immediate surroundings, foregrounding the poetics of everyday life. Gallardo focuses on people, places, and objects—often removed from their original contexts and reimagined within new scenarios.

Working primarily through painting, he employs portraiture as a means to heighten expressivity, frequently turning to exaggeration and the fragmentation of form. His approach reveals an analytical dimension, delving into the psychological undercurrents of his subjects. For Gallardo, painting expands rather than limits expressive possibilities, intersecting with other media while generating new visual outcomes.

Darián Gallardo (b. March 1999, Cienfuegos, Cuba) began his artistic training at the Escuela Provincial de Arte Benny Moré, where he specialized in painting. In 2019, he enrolled at the Universidad de las Artes (ISA), pursuing a degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, with a focus on easel painting restoration. He has participated in exhibitions and initiatives such as Post-it, MALAYERBA, and PRISMA, aimed at increasing the visibility of emerging artists. Beyond his studio practice, he has also worked in scenography, contributing to the production Lección Fallida by the dance-theater company Persona Colectivo.

Images and text: Courtesy of the artist

28/04/2026

Prisma 11, Perfil. Premio Colateral de la Fundación The Cuban Arts Group (TCAG)

Como parte de la colaboración con el equipo de ArteMorfosis y el concurso Prisma 11, Perfil, el equipo de TCAG, tras un exhaustivo análisis de las propuestas presentadas, destaca la alta calidad de los concursantes y su capacidad para expandir los límites del retrato. Se ha valorado especialmente la coherencia entre el discurso conceptual del artista y su resolución material, así como la capacidad de proyectar estas inquietudes en el ecosistema cultural actual.

Nuestro equipo ha decidido otorgar el premio colateral The Cuban Arts Group (TCAG), de manera compartida y a partes iguales, a los siguientes artistas y obras:

* Darián Gallardo, por la obra “Malestar en la cultura”.
* Ismael Olazabal, por la obra “Patrimonio”.
* Héctor Daniel Palacios, por la obra “Sibila”.

Desde TCAG, celebramos cómo estas tres obras, desde perspectivas diversas —la crítica institucional, la memoria compartida y la sacralización de lo ordinario—, logran capturar la esencia del “Perfil” contemporáneo, reafirmando la vigencia del retrato como un diálogo vivo entre el autor, la obra y su contexto digital y físico.

Dirección

Madrid

Página web

http://www.thecubanartsgroup.org/

Notificaciones

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