Roberto Diego, Cuba, Galerie Vallois, Paris, Until May 28, 2016.
Aqui Estoy, 2014.
Quotes:
“At school we had everything, and then suddenly, the supplies were all gone, but we had to work. That was when I began using tar, cement, or whatever I could find, and that type of material only allowed for the use of ocher and sepia tones. I carried out exhaustive research and connected with matterist art and the arte povera tendency, which emerged in industrialized societies where they have everything but went for the simplest elements, the basics. Creating my own aesthetic out of precariousness has given me excellent results and satisfaction.”
Durruthy No.7, 2012.
“For me, art or creation is freedom; sometimes the work that I am building changes whatever concept that I might have had in mind until then. Your day to day work guides you in what color is required, what kind of material, and that changes the whole concept, and therefore, its presentation,”
The Skin that Speakes, 2014.
At the same time, he emphasizes that religiosity in Cuba is “an everyday thing. It has been a weapon of resistance throughout all the ages. It comes from our ancestors and endures. Religiosity is incorporated into everything that is Cuban, one way or another. It is part of us.” (quotes from site On Cuba)
Don’t step on me, 2007.
Roberto Diego (Havana, 1971). Graduated in 1990 from the San Alejandro Art Academy with a specialty in sculpture.
