Paul Nelson in Cuba/01.jpg

01.jpg Three Artists. This is, from left to right, a shot of Yaniel Rodriguez, his father and his brother Yelian. Lidgia and I were passing by the gallery representing Yelian’s work when I saw that they were having the opening. This shot is taken on a later date, when a group of Canadian tourists were visiting the gallery. Yaniel is a silversmith who makes some remarkable jewelry. Yelian’s work, displayed on the wall behind them, is best represented by the Mascaras Ancestrales series. The paintings, in simple black and white, and the ceramic masks, were the most powerful pieces of Yelian’s that he had on display. The inspiration for the series comes from Santeria, a syncretic religion which began in Cuba and Brazil from a combination of Yoruba and Catholicism.