Circular Reflections

Áisar Abdalá Jalil Martínez transforms oil pigments and charcoal draftsmanship into a turbulent psychological theater. His allegorical landscapes are overrun by devious, anthropomorphic bird-hybrids and masked figures executing frantic, gravity-defying flights across the canvas. Far from wallowing in the grim reality of exile, these creatures overflow with a raw, defiant sensuality—using an untamed libido to push back against the doldrums of their environment. Yet, beneath this chaotic erotic fantasy lies a heavy physical friction, anchored by motifs of overloaded maritime vessels and the stark silence of forced migration. Martínez maps the jagged geography of a homeland left behind, proving that within this wilderness, adaptation isn’t peaceful; it is a loud, visceral assertion of human survival.

Academic Foundations: Born in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1953. Initial, foundational fine arts training commenced in 1968 at the Provincial Art School of Camagüey, followed by rigorous fine arts training at the National School of Art (ENA) in Havana. He pursued higher studio education at the prestigious Repin Academy of Fine Arts in Leningrad (USSR), graduating with a specialization in Monumental Sculpture in 1983.

Institutional Service & Parallel Disciplines: Upon returning to the island, severe economic restrictions during Cuba’s “Special Period” in the 1990s made physical raw materials for sculpture cost-prohibitive. This forced a strategic, permanent shift toward painting, drawing, and graphic illustration as his primary modes of expression. Parallel to his studio practice, he served as an educator, juror for national salons, and an active member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC).

Exile, Translocation & Relocations: After decades of navigating institutional structures on the island and mounting socio-political tensions, the artist left Cuba to work internationally. He eventually made his definitive translocation to the Americas, establishing a permanent transnational footprint in the United States and South America by anchoring his practice within key global creative metropolises.

Current Status: He currently operates an active, dual-base working status, traveling and maintaining physical studio environments back and forth between Miami, Florida, and São Paulo, Brazil. This bi-continental lifestyle directly fuels his contemporary output, splitting his time between South Florida’s Cuban diaspora networks and the intense urban landscape of São Paulo.

• 1984–1988: Professor of Sculpture and Drawing, Department of Fine Arts, Escuela Profesional de Artes de Camagüey, Camagüey, Cuba.
• 1988–1994: Instructor of Fine Arts and Studio Consultant, Cátedra de Escultura, Provincial Art Systems Network, Camagüey/Havana, Cuba.

Exodus & The Migratory Soul: A core portfolio of paintings and drawing multiples depicting walkers, overloaded vessels, and anonymous human forms in transit. This series treats displacement not as passive victimhood, but as a resilient visual poetics where bodies mutate into fish and birds to defy geo-political borders.

The São Paulo Therians (Crackolandia): Executed across mixed media on cardboard and large-format works, this series directly filters the heavy, raw reality of urban decay from his time in South America. The hybrid figures capture the intense, raw sensuality of bodies adapting to harsh psychological and environmental landscapes.

Flora and Fauna (Painful Metamorphoses): Born from his evolution through Cuba’s difficult transition in the 1990s, this series captures the physical and emotional transformations of the human condition. The compositions weave highly organic elements together to process societal fracturing and adaptation.

The Monumental Muse (Talía): Grounded in his high academic background in monumental sculpture from Leningrad, this block centers on his public bronze heritage project Talía (the smiling muse of theater) permanently integrated into the cultural landscape of Camagüey.

This artist has participated in over 25 solo exhibitions:

• 2026: Éxodo, Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center, Miami, FL. (A definitive retrospective milestone curated by Alaen Ledesma Fernández, tracking over five decades of migratory narratives and cross-cultural displacement).
• 2025: The Kingdom of Confusion, Artefactus Cultural Project Gallery, Miami, FL. (Introduced critical mixed-media works emphasizing his contemporary theriomorphic series and biting political allegories).
• 2010: …Y hasta parece que sueñan, Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas, Holguín, Cuba. (A major island-based painting survey consisting of 33 large-format pieces evaluated by institutional curator Nelson Herrera Ysla).
• 2006: La tarde pidiendo amor, Galería Espacio de Arte, Almancil, Portugal.
• 2005: Flora y fauna, Galería Pequeño Espacio, Havana, Cuba.
• 2004: Vendaval sin rumbo, Galería L’Astrolabe, La Rochelle, France.
• 2003: Camafruta y otras historias, Galería La Acacia, Havana, Cuba. (A landmark regional gallery exhibition analyzing domestic sensuality and societal restrictions on the island).

This artist has participated in over 50 collective exhibitions:

• 2026: Circular Reflections, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, FL.
• 2026: Untitled Collective Survey, Galeria Silva Guerreiro, Almancil, Portugal.
• 2025: Circular Reflections, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL.
• 2025: Red Dot Miami Charity Auction, ArtisA Gallery, Miami, FL / Aruba.
• 2023: Under the Spell of the Palm Tree: The Rice Collection of Cuban Art, Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL. (A prominent US museum survey traveling across major academic venues, exploring the shifting geographies of contemporary Cuban identity).
• 2022: Cuban Art of the Diaspora, Miami Arts Space, Miami, FL. (A highly selective South Florida assembly pairing his recent transnational canvases with established exile masters).
• 2007: Memorias de ultramar, Galería de Arte ArtSpalla, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (A key Spanish survey exploring Caribbean diaspora narratives).
• 2006: Aquel lado del Atlántico, Galería Sacramento, Aveiro, Portugal.
• 2004: 4 décadas ante el espejo, Gran Arco de la Défense, Paris, France. (A major European museum survey anthologizing generations of foundational Cuban art).
• 1983: Soviet & International Graduate Exhibition, Repin Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Leningrad, USSR.
• 2012: City Salón, Galería de Arte Universal Alejo Carpentier, Camagüey, Cuba.
• 1993: Salón de la UNEAC, Galería de Arte Contemporáneo, Havana, Cuba.
• 1989: Camagüeyan Art, Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte, Camagüey, Cuba.
• 1973: Salón Nacional, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba.
• 1973: Salón de la Juventud, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba.

• 1989: Elected Permanent Academic Member, National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), Havana, Cuba.
• 1983: Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Laureate, Repin Academy of Fine Arts, Leningrad, USSR.
• 1973: First Prize in Drawing / Sculpture, National Youth Art Salon (Salón Nacional de la Juventud), Havana, Cuba.

Journal & Magazine Articles

• 2026 — Fleites, Alex. “Áisar Jalil expone ‘Éxodo’ en Miami.” OnCubaNews (Miami), January 26, 2026.
• 2019 — Magdariaga Larduet, Reina. “Aisar Jalil Martínez, a Formidable Painter.” CubaPLUS Magazine (Havana) 33 (July 2019): 74–77.
• 2014 — Staff Writer. “Aisar Jalil Martínez, a Formidable Painter.” CubaPLUS Magazine (Havana), 2014.

Reference Entries & Institutional Overviews

• 2025 — Cernuda Arte. “Aisar Jalil Curriculum.” Cernuda Arte Publications (Coral Gables), updated May 2025.
• 2016 — “Áisar Jalil Martínez.” EcuRed: Enciclopedia Cubana (Havana), March 2016.
• 2010 — Herrera Ysla, Nelson. “…Y hasta parece que sueñan.” Espejo Impaciente Cultural Registry (Havana), 2010.

Books & Curatorial Catalogs

• 2026: Catálogo: Reflexiones Circulares [Curaduría: Miguel Rodez]. InCUBAdora, March 24, 2026. https://www.in-cubadora.com/2026/03/24/catalogo-reflexiones-circulares-curaduria-miguel-rodez/.
• 2025 — Rodez, Miguel. Circular Reflections: Cuban Art Documentation Project. Miami Gardens: St. Thomas University Press, 2025.

Curatorial Press Releases & Event Documentation

• 2026 — Creation Art Center and Studio Fine Cuban Art to Collect. “EXODO Art Exhibit by Aisar Jalil Martinez.” Curated by Alaen Ledesma Fernández. Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center (Miami), January 2026.
• 2026 — Diario Las Américas Staff. “Conozca la programación del Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center.” Diario Las Américas (Miami), January 10, 2026.
• 2025 — Artefactus Cultural Center. “El reino de la confusión by Aisar Abdalá Jalil.” Exhibition program announcement (Miami), February 22, 2025.

Primary Source Video & Portfolio Logs

• 2026 — Martínez, Áisar Abdalá Jalil. Los Horrores de Nuestra Guerra. Artist’s Digital Portfolio and Studio Albums. Facebook (Havana), updated June 2026.
• 2025 — Martínez, Áisar Abdalá Jalil. “ÉXODO – ESTO NO TIENE NOMBRE.” Instagram reel (Miami), April 13, 2025. Video, 0:15.

The original creations, large-format canvases, and technical portfolios of the artist are permanently preserved within the following public, academic, and private registries:

• National Museum of Fine Arts (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) (Havana, Cuba).
• St. Petersburg State Academy Museum / Repin Academy of Fine Arts Archive (St. Petersburg, Russia).
• Ignacio Agramonte Provincial Museum Collection (Camagüey, Cuba).
• The National Union of Writers and Artists Permanent Collection (Havana, Cuba).