"One of the attractions of painting, is to have the possibility of not thinking, while doing it. For me it is something natural, necessary and vital. The sheer existence allows me to paint, and painting helps me to exist."
The solo exhibition Yo Soy [I am] by Cuban artist Miguel A. Machado Suárez testifies to a very particular and constant theme in Cuba’s search for identity: the need to define oneself. Miguel Alejandro Machado Suárez defines himself in what he does in his making – and in his paintings. He refers to the exhibition as “Yo soy esto y esto soy yo.” [I am and therefore I am]. As much as a statement, the exhibition theme is centered on the notion of “experience”, Yo Soy is an invitation to enter the world of the Cuban painter Miguel Alejandro Machado Suárez.
The exhibition unites different work groups, dating from 2016 until 2020, demonstrating the artist's virtuosity and skill of technique in Cuban Art. By mixing comic elements with historical painting, traditional three-layer or post-impressionist techniques, the artist addresses universal as well as pictorial questions, thereby fostering vision and thought. For Miguel A. Machado Suárez, being a painter means actual being: "One of the attractions of painting, is to have the possibility of not thinking, while doing it. For me it is something natural, necessary and vital. The sheer existence allows me to paint, and painting helps me to exist." – Miguel Machado
Miguel Machado took up painting as a philosophical practice in the socio-political context of Cuba which is opposed with a pseudo-conceptual dogmatism that has been undermining art education on the island from the late 1990s to the present day. The vast imagery by Miguel Machado suggests an alternated view on the world in an attempt to express freedom, liberation and transformation.
Miguel Alejandro Machado Suárez – Yo Soy
5 March – 17 April 2021
Miguel Alejandro Machado Suárez, born 1990 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. His work was awarded various prizes, among them the award of the Asociacion Hermanos Saínz. Miguel A. Machado Suárez lives and works in Havana. The exhibition Yo Soy is his first solo show in Europe.
The monograph »Miguel Alejandro Machado Suárez« presents a detailed study of his work, the publication is released on the occasion of the exhibition. The publication focuses on four work periods from 2013 until today. The extensive image section is complemented by a comprehensive essay, an interview and biography as well as indicative statements on the working method of the artist.
Release date: 5 March 2021
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Curated by Liatna Rodríguez López
This exhibition is supported by Stiftung Kunstfonds as part of their NEUSTART KULTUR program
