‘Isabela y su Luna, en Neptuno’

24’’x30’’, oil on linen.

“This is a portrait of my dear friend Isabella, whose vision of the world I believe we can all benefit greatly from. It is part of my series on female Cuban artists.

The way my two portraits of Isabella evolved is quite special, because they are the result of years of visual and textual correspondence between us. Isabella is a film student at the ISA (Instituto Superior de Arte) in Havana.

I was always deeply saddened by the fact that I couldn’t study arts at the ‘Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro’ or at the ‘Instituto Superior de Arte’ (ISA) in Havana. These were my dream schools, as learning alongside the youth of my country and having peers with similar life experiences and a similar culture would’ve been optimal. I happened across Isabella’s work on Instagram and we immediately recognized a similarity of vision within the other.

Isabella was born and grew up in Holguin, Cuba, the land of my grandmother, and where my mother later spent her childhood and adolescent summers. There was this sense of reconciled lineage and femininity in our friendship, where every image of Holguin Isabella sent me returned a part of my identity that helped me form a visual language of my own. Although she is eight years younger than me, she has been a true mentor and creative support.

Seeing her carry on with her career at our dream school while I stay and complete my studies here in Canada makes me feel like we are building a dream together, even if our friendship has been marked by physical distance. She once said “painting is a form of presence”, which made me realize that my practice is also rooted in this need to spend physical time with my loved ones while in exile.”

‘Isa Visita el Museo’, Oil on canvas, 48’’ x 36’’