Gabriel Alejandro Sanchez

“I love the gentle nature of the people here. The lack of technology and 21st century developments makes for a community of people who are present and engaged. I choose my subjects based on their willingness to express themselves with freedom and openness and what they represent as Cubans.”

Gabriel Sanchez’s oil portrait paintings examine Cuban current events and politics; how proximity and union, ever-present aspects of Cuban society shape the notion of loneliness and intimacy. The artist carefully paints with classical techniques and his use of realism creates a genuine unavoidable illusion that leads the viewer to a closer relationship with the subject. Each work captures a small scene of daily events that occur on the island and the characters depicted (his fiancée, family, friends, artists) represent the warm and stoic nature of Cuban culture, which has hardly changed over time.