Gabriel Sanchez
Region: West
Sanchez’s works focus on Cuban current events and politics as seen through the lens of portraiture. His recent paintings explore how proximity and union, ever-present aspects of Cuban society, inform notions of solitude and intimacy. Each painting captures a small scene of mundane events that occur daily on the island. In these snapshots, the distractions of urban life are minimized and attention is brought to bear on a particular and present moment. Sanchez’s oil paintings are carefully rendered with classical technique. His use of realism produces “an authentic and inescapable illusion of existence” that brings the viewer into a closer relationship with his subject. The figures portrayed—his wife, family, friends, and acquaintances—serve as depictions of the warm yet stoic nature of Cuban culture that has changed little over time—a reminder to the world of what has been lost. Sanchez excels at creating scenes of togetherness and social unity.