Cuba Up Close: Join us in February! 'Cuba Natural 'details below.
Cuba Up Close: Join us in February! 'Cuba Natural 'details below.
Figueroa is a self-taught builder and mixed-media artist. Formal training and apprenticeships in 1989 in a wide gamut of artisan trades in his hometown of Carlos Alberto Tellería Ferro. He lives in Pinar del Rio, about 90 miles west of Havana, Cuba.
In the past few years he has carried out medium- and large-scale sculptures dealing with migration, war, global warfare, and personal themes.
Artistic Work Experiences
He began displaying his artwork in the studios and juried art shows across Pinar del Río Province, in western Cuba.
1992 “14 de diciembre” Gallery.” Showed two sculptures: “Arca suicida” (Suicide Area) and “El estrés” (Stress). Gallery “Casa de Cultura Pedro Junco,” Pinar del Río, Cuba.
1995 Created various sculptures about cultural and Cuban military history displayed in galleries and public monuments.
1998 Sculpted “Poeta, que levante la mano la guitarra” (Poet, raise the guitar hand!) in tribute to the Cuban folk singer/song writer, , Silvio Rodríguez, as part of a national tour and exhibit by Silvio Rodríguez throughout regional jails Pinar del Río Provnice, Cuba.
Monument to the non-commissioned officer, Roberto Díaz, displayed at Pinar del Río Provincial Prison, Km. 5 ½, Highway Luis Lazo.
“El Batiscafo de tu abismo” (The bathyscaph of your abyss), a large format sculpture displayed at the Pinar del Río Provincial Prison.
2012 “30 de marzo” Gallery, Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (Asociación Cubana de Artesanos Artistas, or ACAA). Pinar del Río, Cuba. Monument titled, “El Minero” (The Miner). Minas de Matahambre County, Pinar del Río, Cuba. Also displayed at “20 de octubre” Provincial Gallery. Provincial Visual Arts Center, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
Monument “Officer Juan Rodríguez Leiva.”. On the 50thanniversary of the creation of Border Troops (Tropas Guardafronteras). La Coloma. Pinar del Río, Cuba.
2015 “La última cena” (The Last Supper). Personal exposition coinciding with the Biennial Art Show of Havana. Shown at the Provincial Visual Arts Center, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
2017 Personal exposition at the Pinar del Río Book Fair. Shown at the Gallery “20 de octubre.” Provincial Visual Arts Center, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
2019 “Prototipos para ser libre” (Prototypes for Being Free). Personal exposition of sculptures coinciding with the Biennial Art Show of Havana. Shown at the artist studio of Esterio Segura, Municipio Cerro, La Habana, Cuba.
2020 Arte-Factos, Art exhibition, Pinar del Río, Cuba
2021 First Prize, Provincial Center for Plastic Arts, Pinar del Río
2022 Exhibition titled "Free LIke the Wind"
2022 Exhibition titled "Free LIke the Wind"
Prizes
2012 First Prize and two collateral awards for the work, “El batiscafo de tu abismo. II” (The Bathyscaph of your Abyss, II). Shown at “30 de marzo” Gallery, Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (Asociación Cubana de Artesanos Artistas, or ACAA).
2013 First Prize and two collateral awards for the work “El batiscafo depredador” (The Predatory Bathyscaph). “30 de marzo” Gallery, Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (Asociación Cubana de Artesanos Artistas, or ACAA), Pinar del Río. Displayed in Los Palacios County, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
Honorable Mention in the “20 de Octubre” Gallery at the Pinar del Río Provincial Center of Plastic for the sculpture, “Mujer robótica” (Robotic Woman).
2014 First Prize for the work “Prototipo de ballesta I” (Crossbow Prototype I), “30 de marzo” Gallery, Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (Asociación Cubana de Artesanos Artistas, or ACAA), Pinar del Río.
2015 First Prize and Creation Scholarship for the work “Prototipo de transporte migratorio” (Migratory Transport Protype). “20 de octubre” Provincial Gallery. Pinar del Río Provincial Visual Arts Center, Cuba.
2017 Personal exposition “Pinar del Río City Book Fair.”
2019 Collective Show coinciding with the Havana Biennial Art Show, along with Esterio Estudio.
Works in Other Collections
Sculptures and other works on display at several Cuban cultural and military institutions.
Private collection of Osbel Pérez, Spanish-Cuban collector.
Madeleine Plonsker collection. Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Havana Collection.
The upper extreme has cones through which propellers fasten, allowing for a rotating movement (2019).
Mechanism for moving a propeller at wind speed (2016).
A combination of mirrors designed to take objects from far away so that they appear isolated and close up Prortoype (2015)
A screw turned from left to right adjusts the elevation of the projectiles (2015).
Bow stabilizers and keel that allow the vessel to float with better navigation. Made from wood as is the vessel itself (2019).
The mechanical differential displaces water and converts distance into nautical miles, thereby converting dreams into another reality (2019).
The differential gears allow the machine to move nautically (2019). Such a conical gear system rotates at 1 x 3 - 3445233844 miles per hour. (2016)
Crossbow mechanism that regulates the oscillations and range of the bow. Four paddles connected to a windmill provide nautical travel. A pedestal with bronze gaskets moves by sails made of t-shirts (2015).
Observation: Prisoners will navigate the vessel and will be able to sustain the clashes that develop even when the routes are quite narrow (2015).
Aluminum sheathing will envelop the structure whose mechanical parts consist of pieces of heaven.
Holding my dreams for 49 years, these heart signals come to me in winged carts.
A rudder for navigating your dreams. You can use it for agriculture, too (which you may not care for) but without it you cannot fly, navigate or dream.
You can't stop dreaming, whether alone or with loved ones. Fly to the deepest vortex in the sky.
Steel knives can be attached to waterproof and polished wooden stabilizers that can slice through obstacles and bad dreams that might hold you back.
1/6
Copyright © 2023 Cuban Culture + Economy - All Rights Reserved.