Circular Reflections

The artist’s practice operates as a rigorous phenomenological inquiry into psychological displacement and spatial alienation, articulated through intelligent linear construction, controlled compositional voids, and architectonic structuring. Rather than relying on additive surface accumulation, the pictorial field is organized through directional logic, calibrated mark-making, and spatial interruption, producing tension between structure and absence. Recurring iconographies—such as suspended vessels, skeletal architectural scaffolds, and symbolic leg forms associated with movement, migration, and escape—function as semiotic anchors within destabilized pictorial environments. The work positions absence not as void but as active structural material, transforming the canvas into a site of psychological transit and existential negotiation.

Academic Foundations: Born in Havana, Cuba, on February 15, 1962. He initiated his foundational studio training at the National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro, graduating in 1984. He subsequently completed his advanced studio higher education at the Higher Institute of Art (Instituto Superior de Arte, ISA), Havana, earning his degree in Painting and Drawing in 1989 within a rigorous academic studio system.

Institutional Service & Parallel Disciplines: Following graduation, the artist entered institutional production structures embedded within Cuban cultural systems, including participation in the Taller de Serigrafía René Portocarrero, where he engaged in collaborative printmaking and state-supported graphic production. During this period, he was assigned teaching responsibilities at institutional art programs as part of post-academic professional placement structures. His early career developed at the intersection of fine arts training, workshop-based production, and institutional cultural mandates.

Exile, Translocation & Relocations: In 1993, following a targeted censorship event in 1992 where seven of his paintings were forcibly removed from his last Havana exhibition by government officials, the artist left Cuba. He initiated a brief transitional residency period in Venezuela before establishing his home and studio infrastructure in the United States. His mid-career migration trajectory includes an extended, highly productive professional chapter living in Spain. He established an active second working studio on the Iberian peninsula—anchoring dynamic exhibition schedules in Madrid, Murcia, and Seville—while traveling continuously back and forth between Spain and his primary residence in Miami, Florida.

Current Status: He resides and works full-time in Miami, Florida, maintaining international studio travel networks alongside global gallery representation and collector-based circulation across North America, Latin America, and Europe.

1989–1992: Studio Mentor and Foundations Instructor, Institutional Placement Art Programs, Havana, Cuba. (Post-graduation studio teaching assignments carried out within Cuban institutional training networks as part of academic service structures).

Las Estructuras del Vacío: Architectonic linear systems and scaffold-like geometries that construct tension between spatial order and perceptual void, positioning structure as a psychological framework rather than literal architecture.

Las Embarcaciones de la Ausencia: Fragmented and suspended vessel forms that function as metaphors for migration, displacement, and diasporic rupture, dissolving maritime imagery into unstable spatial fields.

Los Santuarios de Confinamiento: Enclosed spatial systems centered on cage-like structures and suspended environments. Within this series, migratory leg-forms operate as symbolic markers of movement, escape, interruption, and constrained agency within systems of containment.

This artist has participated in 32 solo exhibitions:

• 2016: Migration of the Sign, Swerdlow Art Group, Miami, FL.
• 2015: Sergio Payares: Recent Works, Swerdlow Art Group, Miami, FL.
• 2013: Trans-visión Antillana, Museo de la Universidad de Antioquia (M.U.U.A), Medellín, Colombia.
• 2012: Casualidad del tiempo, Galería 123, San Salvador, El Salvador.
• 2011: Visions of a City, Casas Riegner Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2010: Summer in Casa, Casas Riegner Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2009: Lo más sublime en la sombra, Galería Casa Turquesa, Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
• 2007: Soles Silenciosos, Galería Alfredo Ginocchio, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2007: Mundo en sombra, Galería EFE Serrano, Murcia, Spain.
• 2005: Silencios Compartidos, Galería Praxis México, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2005: Just Me, Glass Garage Fine Art Gallery, West Hollywood, CA.
• 2004: Voces del silencio, Galería Praxis México, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2003: Ño Silence, Naomi Silva Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
• 2003: Obra Reciente, Casas Riegner Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2002: Al contacto, Galerie Herzog, Cologne, Germany.
• 2001: El Silencio del Objeto, Galería Nina Menocal, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2001: Comunicación, Sala Luis Garay, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
• 2000: De una tierra terrenal sublimada, Casas Riegner Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2000: Encuentro y Comunicación, Galería Nina Menocal, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1999: Tiempos de encuentros, Galería Fórum, Lima, Peru.
• 1999: Fiesta de los pasos, Miami-Dade Cultural Resources Center, Miami, FL.
• 1998: Tierra y fondo, Galería Nina Menocal, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1998: Frente al horizonte, Galería Casa Turquesa, Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
• 1997: Registro de la memoria, Galería Nina Menocal, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1996: Éxodo, Decos Art Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 1995: Muestra Abierta de Creadores Cubanos, Kim Gallery, Murcia, Spain.
• 1995: Soldados, Astoria Art Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 1994: Espinazo, Jadite Gallery, New York, NY.
• 1992: La Condición Humana, Galería de Arte Contemporáneo, Havana, Cuba.
• 1986: Último tiempo, Galería Servando Cabrera, Casa de la Culture de Playa, Havana, Cuba.
• 1984: Tiempos malos, Galería U.N.E.C.A., Havana, Cuba.
• 1983: Concreto, Galería Calzada, Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.

• 2026: Circular Reflections Collection, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, FL.
• 2025: Circular Reflections Collection, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2025: Rereading of Seminal Works – the Rodríguez Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCAA), Miami, FL.
• 2021: Cuban Aquí, Miami Art Week, InterContinental Miami Hotel, Miami, FL.
• 2020: Art Inside, Art Basel Miami Exhibition, Icon Brickell Center, Miami, FL.
• 2019: Permanent Artists Collective, Evey Fine Art Gallery, Palm Beach, FL.
• 2019: AfriCan Art, Art Basel Miami Time, Ironside Center, Miami, FL.
• 2017: Artists in Purgatory, The Reynardus Collection Exhibition (Exhibited at: Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL; and Kendall Art Center, Miami, FL).
• 2016: Feria de Arte Contemporáneo Medellín, Miami Arts & Entertainment Council, Medellín, Colombia.
• 2016: Plástica Cubana Generación 80, Museo de Linares, Nuevo León, Mex.
• 2015: Intersections: Trans-Cultural Expressions, Swerdlow Art Group, Wynwood, FL
• 2013: Caribbeana, Multitudes Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art, N. Miami, FL.
• 2013: Americana Alternative Contemporáneos, Cultural Art Center, Miramar, FL.
• 2012: Fans Forever, Museum of Art and Design (MOAD), Miami, FL.
• 2012: Masterwork, Artopia Art Center, Midtown Miami, FL.
• 2011: NADA Art Fair, Arte Puro Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2010: Group Contemporary Survey, Galería Alfredo Ginocchio, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2008: Migration, Nature and Encounters, Collaborative Project, Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Long Beach, CA.
• 2008: Juannio, Museo de Arte Moderno de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
• 2008: IKF Latin American Art Auction, Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), Miami, FL.
• 2007: MACO México Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2007: 12 Salas 12 Maestros, Galería EFE Serrano, Cieza, Murcia, Spain.
• 2007: Lurie Fine Art Galleries Group Show, Miami, FL.
• 2006: Muestra Colectiva Latinoamericana, Lima, Peru.
• 2006: Verano del Norte, KUR Gallery, San Sebastián, Spain.
• 2006: Cuban-Miami, Naomi Silva Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
• 2006: Feria de Arte Contemporánea de Sevilla, Galería EFE Serrano, Andalusia, Spain.
• 2006: Feria de Arte de Vigo, Galería EFE Serrano, Galicia, Spain.
• 2005: Interpreting the Narrative, Lurie Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2005: Feria de Arte Contemporánea Marbella, Galería EFE Serrano, Andalusia, Spain.
• 2004: Contemporary Drawing Showcase, Glass Garage Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
• 2004: Art Chicago, Galería Praxis México, Chicago, IL.
• 2004: Naomi Silva Gallery Showcase, Atlanta, GA.
• 2003: Art Chicago 03, Galería Praxis México, Chicago, IL.
• 2003: Corrientes contemporáneas, Galería 123, San Salvador, El Salvador.
• 2003: Art Miami 03, Galería EFE Serrano, Miami, FL.
• 2002: Art Miami 02, Casas Riegner Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 2001: Gran formato y Encuentro, Galería Fórum, Lima, Peru.
• 2000: Art Chicago, Galería Nina Menocal /Centro de Arte Italiano/Milano, Chicago.
• 2000: Art Palm Beach 00, Galería La Florida, Palm Beach, FL.
• 2000: 13 Artistas Cubanos, Galería EFE Serrano, Cieza, Murcia, Spain.
• 2000: San Francisco Intl. Art Fair, Galería Nina Menocal, San Francisco, CA.
• 1998: II Bienal Iberoamericana de Lima, Installation Structure Category, Lima, Peru.
• 1999: Art Miami 99, Galería Nina Menocal / Centro de Arte Italiano, Miami, FL.
• 1999: Muestra Colectiva, Galería La Florida, Caracas, Venezuela.
• 1999: Art Chicago 99, Galería Nina Menocal, Chicago, IL.
• 1999: VII Feria Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo, Guadalajara, Mexico.
• 1998: Muestra Colectiva, Galería Nina Menocal, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1998: Art Chicago 98, Galería Nina Menocal, Chicago, IL.
• 1997: Collective Fine Arts Circuit, Galerie Herzog, Frankfurt, Germany.
• 1997: Grito de México, Mexican Consulate Cultural Event, Miami, FL.
• 1997: Itinerant Exhibition, 49th Intl. Confonference for Human Rights, RSVP Collection Ltd. Fine Art, Miami, FL.
• 1995: El dedo en la llaga, America’s Presidents Encounter, Freedom Twr, Miami, FL.
• 1995: Collectable, Brasil International Gallery, Paris, France.
• 1995: Cuban Auction, Vanidades Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 1994: Lincoln Road Art Festival, Miami Beach, FL.
• 1994: RSVP Collection Showcase, RSVP Collection Ltd. Fine Art, Miami, FL.
• 1994: 34th HORTT Competition, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, FL.
• 1993: Small Format Salon in Miami, La Boheme Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 1993: SON, Design Center of the Americas, Dania Beach, FL.
• 1992: Galería ISA Exhibition, Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana, Cuba.
• 1992: Semana de la Cultura Cubana, Galería 23 y 12, Havana, Cuba.
• 1989: Arte Joven Cubano, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
• 1989: Salón Pequeño Formato, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba.
• 1989: Semana de la Cultura Cubana, Galería Galeano, Havana, Cuba.
• 1986: 50 poemas ilustrados: Aniversario de Luis Suardíaz, Galería Servando Cabrera, Havana, Cuba.
• 1986: Pequeño formato, Galería L, Havana, Cuba.
• 1984: Graduates Salon, National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro, Havana, Cuba.
• 1983: Salón Nacional Leopoldo Romañach, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

• 1998: Dade County Cultural Collaboration Certificate, Metropolitan Dade County Commission / City of North Miami, Miami, FL. (Awarded for excellence in municipal cultural coordination and regional fine arts production).
• 1997: Creative Excellence Fine Arts Award, American Foundation Against Cancer, Miami, FL.
• 1985: Second Prize (Painting), Salón Nacional Leopoldo Romañach, Havana, Cuba.

Other Activities & Projects

• 2009: Theatrical Graphic Design, Poster and Visual Identity for the musical theater production Puente de Alambre, Teatro Capitol, Cieza, Murcia, Spain.
• 2005–2006: Gallery Design Direction, Architectural layout, spatial orchestration, and execution for the Casa Turquesa Coral Gables Gallery, Miami, FL.
• 1995: Large-Scale Public Art, Commissioned Site-Specific Painted Mural, Hotel Casa Turquesa, Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
• 1994: Cinematic Set Design & Scenography, Art Direction and Production Scenographer for the feature film Too Much (Directed by Oscar-winner Fernando Trueba; starring Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, and Daryl Hannah), filmed on location in Miami, FL.
• 1993: Ceramic Applied Fine Arts, Espinazo Series, a signature collection of hand-painted decorative ceramic plates distributed into international corporate and private portfolios (including the Recaredo Gutiérrez Collection, the Maria Torre Collection, and the Family Landero Collection).

I. Monographic & Exhibition Catalogues

• 2007: Ginocchio, Alfredo, ed. Soles Silenciosos. Mexico City: Galería Alfredo Ginocchio, 2007. A monographic exhibition catalog charting his compositional evolution, architectural motifs, and palette transitions.
• 2001: Menocal, Nina, ed. El Silencio del Objeto. Mexico City: Editorial Nina Menocal, 2001. A dedicated gallery catalog breaking down the psychological intent and semiotic themes of his suspended vessel series.

II. Curatorial & Survey Publications

• 2025: Rodez, Miguel. Circular Reflections Collection. Miami: St. Thomas University Press, 2025. A comprehensive curatorial survey indexing biographical profiles, stylistic evolution highlights, and technical evaluations of participating contemporary artists.
• 2022: Vega Jácome, Rafael. Contemporary Artists Handbook. Miami: Brighter Book Publishing, 2022. An encyclopedic studio compilation mapping the aesthetic tenets, material configurations, and developmental milestones of Cuban-American painters.

III. Scholarly Journals & Criticism

• 2021: Bravo Guerra, Abram. “Spatial Tension in the Paintings of Sergio Payares.” CdeCuba Art Magazine, no. 32 (Fall 2021): 44–51. A dedicated feature evaluation probing the artist’s structural use of controlled voids, linear marks, and existential iconography.
• 2003: ArtNexus Editors. “Sergio Payares and the Architecture of Absence.” ArtNexus Magazine, no. 49 (June 2003): 112–115. A detailed review tracking his solo debut with Casas Riegner Gallery and evaluating his signature geometric scaffolds.

IV. Press & Critical Reception

• 2026: Ángel Roca. “Circular Reflections: Dissolving the Corners of the Cuban Narrative.” Artepoli, no. 48 (2026): 6–12. A detailed bilingual feature article evaluating the artist’s visual contribution within a landmark survey exhibition showcasing eighty global Cuban masters.
• 2026: Rodez, Miguel. “Catálogo: Reflexiones Circulares.” InCUBAdora (March 24, 2026): A critical review charting the structural artist registry and diaspora narratives defining the collective contemporary documentation project.
• 2004: The Miami Herald. Exhibition Review and Critical Commentary (October 2004).
• 2004: Miami New Times. Exhibition Review and Diaspora Gallery Circuit Tracking (November 2004).

• Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) (Long Beach, CA).
• The Leo Rodríguez Permanent Art Collection (Miami, FL).
• The Circular Reflections Contemporary Archive Registry (Miami, FL).
• Miami-Dade Public Library System, Fine Arts Archive (The Vasari Project) (Miami, FL).