The first Cuban-owned art gallery in Europe opened last Saturday in Newington Green with a photographic exhibition by its founder.
Alejandro Gortazar from Havana, Cuba, has transformed a derelict supermarket into 13 The Gallery, which will serve as an art shop, photography studio and community space for poetry reading, alternative local cinema, and art classes.
Celebrating Black History Month, Gortazar’s striking collection ‘Cuba Treasured Island’ captures the colourful energy of his homeland and reveals a country beyond rum, cigars and revolution.
Gortazar was granted special permission to visit protected nature reserves, and his photographs capture natural wonders such as the bee hummingbird and the Cuban woodpecker. Discussing his native people, the 39-year-old photographer said: “They may have old clothes but they also have real happiness.”
“Opening this gallery is the culmination of a dream I have had for years, exposing not only my work but that of other artists from Cuba and Latin America”.
Maria Castro, the photographer’s representative and wife, said: “There are difficulties for foreign artists, particularly those from Latin America and the Caribbean. There is a kind of discrimination against those who don’t have the first world resources that other countries do. We want to present some solidarity.”
Future planned exhibitions will feature artists from Argentina, Chile, Norway and Wales. Latin American and Caribbean artists residing in the UK and Europe are particularly encouraged to share their work with the local community.
