“All Cubans are innate recyclers. It is something inherent to us as survivors of shortages and having to give up many things; recycling is a term that refers not only to material objects but also to our best sentiments—our memories, our culture. We have all had to recycle, and I’ve found myself in that tide, too. As a recycler and as a Cuban I’ve used materials that might seem finite or in a state of disappearance, and I’ve worked with them, and that perspective has turned a corner full of spider webs into a place of unknown poetry. You can’t underestimate anything from your surroundings, or anything made by human beings, even if it has completed its physical life cycle. In 1993, my friend the trova singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez dedicated a song to me that says, in one part, ‘country in which the trash is still loved.’ And it’s true; I love even this island’s trash.” - Roberto Fabelo
Roberto Fabelo (born 1950), a Cuban painter, sculptor, and illustrator known for his dreamlike, surreal imagery that blends fantasy with reality, often incorporating anthropomorphic figures, erotic elements, and symbolic critiques of the human condition, draws inspiration from masters like Goya, Bosch, and Rembrandt while infusing Afro-Cuban and magical realist influences. Graduating from Havana's National School of Art and Instituto Superior de Arte, he has exhibited internationally, earning awards such as Cuba's National Prize for Plastic Arts and UNESCO's Prize for the Promotion of Plastic Arts. His monumental sculptures, intricate drawings, and vibrant paintings, including series like Sobrevivientes and installations such as Viaje Fantástico, reside in collections at the Galleria Degli Uffizi, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana, and Pérez Art Museum Miami, solidifying his role as a key figure in contemporary Cuban art who explores themes of identity, nature, and societal absurdity through meticulous craftsmanship and imaginative depth.