Carlos Gamez de Francisco

The Unconventional Aspects of Portraiture

Carlos Gamez de Francisco was born in post-revolutionary Cuba in 1987 in a climate of art censorship and limited access to information. He was educated in an academic style heavily influenced by the Russian Academy. This influence and the history of Cuba itself, are the lens through which Francisco creates quasi-historic portraits, narratives and an illusory world. Francisco understood that decontextualizing epochs and artistic symbols are tools that establish a connection between the present and the past. His works explore themes of power, hierarchy, perfection and beauty, repetition, decoration and obscene abundance. His images often depict a sense of happiness and well-being which in turn, insinuates a nonexistent time. Thus, themes and specific figures are examples of distorted reality illustrating his perceptions about life. Francisco focuses on modifying historical periods, fashion, images and contexts using insects, whether realistically represented or not, as imaginary elements recreating new contexts. Mainly, he recreates experiences and memories by superimposing and manipulating historical figures and events. Finally, understanding beauty in its various forms is the motivation for experimenting with non-conventional materials. Francisco’s general approach is to demystify classical beauty and present it as a natural process and in its natural form.