René Francisco: Venceremos

René Francisco, one of Cuba’s most prolific artist and scholar, will have his first solo show in Brazil at Galeria Nara Roesler, São Paulo.

Layered with a critical streak that is at times ironic and at others poignant, the artist will showcase drawings, paintings, and assemblages in his debut at the gallery.

René Francisco is part of a generation of artists who are now in there fifties, who grew up in a Cuba ruled by a full-blown Castro regime. One that can be seen as decadent and overwhelmed by US economic sanctions. It’s only natural that artists from that era should explore the contradictions and absurdities wrought by the American embargo and by a domestic policy that strives to save face even as problems are evident. But Francisco goes beyond that and manages to make work that are global, albeit local. Using Cuba as a source of inspiration.

The works set to be featured at Galeria Nara Roesler include black-and-white paintings from his series portraying depersonalized human collectives inside matchboxes, like flammable material that could explode. Another piece is Venceremos, a composition made from trowels used in civil construction that bear the letters of the famous Cuban slogan, formed by crowd paintings. Geometric shapes on graph paper reminiscent of utilitarian industrial projects are also on display.