ABEL BARROSO
Artist Statement
"Using the medium of printmaking, I build sculptures, installations, collages to create performances. I use artisanal work as a point of departure for the themes I select. Recently, migrations, the varied perspectives of identity, multiculturalism and globalization has been my recurring subject matter.
I am also interested in "global games" where the players must confront the so called "First World" and the "Third World". I use humor to disguise the seriousness of the selected themes, to deepen the very real issues that we all experience in this global village that we inhabit. Politics are camouflaged within this combination of elements to elicit reflection and dialogue. Today's reality is an endless source of inspiration."
A printmaker known for his three dimensional, participatory installations, Abel Barroso uses humor to explore themes such as materiality and wealth, examining life in contemporary Cuba. Barroso began his art career as a woodblock printer, then started using the object itself, the matrix, as material. By taking advantage of the satirical and witty tradition in Cuban art, Barroso masks the political content of his work behind an apparently fresh and lighthearted vision of the situation.
