Art News

(…) But although his feet are firmly on the
ground –in his land– and his head is high and clear, it is from his
heart that his painting springs.

Eliseo Diego

You don't need wings when art is born from within, then you are a true artist, and Eduardo Roca Salazar (Santiago de Cuba, 1949) has plenty of art and authenticity. His work erupts with the same strength and delicacy as that of his spirit. For almost half a century, his creations have awed the public with that neo-expressionist fiber that fuels his paintings, prints and drawings.

The work of Choco –the affectionate speduonym with which the artist signs and is known– has a sap rooted in this land and for this reason it sprouts with the effervescence of everyday life. As in "The breath of life", the creator becomes the transmitter and receiver of the daily journey. That is why in his mixture of tiny characters, the artist makes a humorous and theatrical portrait of daily events. From very early on, his works on “the millionaires” or the “men of mocha”, the title of his first personal exhibition in 1976 at Galería Habana, reflected these artistic concerns. In those first drawings of strong contrasts, as in his most recent painting, the common man is portrayed, that of the crowds, the anonymous character in the construction of a great story. The artist is also tormented by the existential concerns of man. Juxtaposed to the dynamic forms of his painting are the doubting faces of his characters. His figuration comes from an inner search, perhaps that is why it sometimes results from a heartbreaking expressiveness.

Choco, with his feet on the ground , surprises again with his vibrant figuration, the endless textures and colors that intermingle and rush into his canvases. Once again, their iconic faces appear, the braided African woman, the virgin of rule, the three Juanes, the eye that looks; but now Choco has put his most recent forms to dialogue with his imagery that has become historical. The gingham - images of African women fixing their hair that impressed him during his trip to Angola - reappear under new colors and accompanied by discreet Chinese ink drawings in which Afro-Cuban symbols, Christian symbols, or simply intuitive spots of color emanate.

His art is dominated by inexplicable creative synergies in which his painting becomes engraving and vice versa. Is that his universe as a creator is so wide that even his own work becomes an excuse for artistic experience. However, the most unusual thing is to discover a life of its own and independent in each of the strokes, either in his oil paintings or in his collage. The vibrations that are born from his fabrics have nothing to do with the power of his colagraphic impressions, even when in both we can surprise a couple hugging each other energetically.

The mastery of his craft has allowed him to continue his inquiries into the volumes, but he now appropriates without vehemence the space in that large installation of musical instruments, at the entrance of the exhibition hall. Each of the wooden sculptural objects are covered with colographic cutouts that the artist has carefully selected. The coloristic symbiosis and the filling in the tones is of a perfect visual harmony. Nothing strange to the viewer that notes from clarinets or guitars are not heard in the room. The music in Choco emerges from the simplicity of its line, from the importance of its colors, from the enigmatic fabrics of its pieces. His concert is music for the eyes, arpeggios of overlapping textures.

Even though his work is almost always in a whirlwind of experimentation, the need to rewrite his environment does not abandon his artistic concerns. Right there where the last in line or the tightrope walker is, that mischievous, extroverted gaze is born, that fundamental essence that characterizes him. His painting is a poetry of man, a song that covers both the most intimate concerns and daily life.

Laura Arañado Arencibia, Curator

Note: You can find the artist's work on this site and a professional review of his artistic life.