Circular Reflections

Orlando Rodríguez Barea operates within a unique surrealist paradigm, directly rendering mystical vessels and parallel realities onto his canvases. His compositions feature protagonists navigating dreamlike horizons in an introspective search for identity. Through the integration of textures and precise brushwork, his work confronts the tension between external circumstances and the psychological weight of complex decisions. Ultimately, these canvases function as allegorical thresholds that illuminate hidden interior realities to map the unexplored dimensions of the human spirit.

Academic Foundations: Born in Havana, Cuba, on June 21, 1959. He pursued formal studies in creative design, graduating with a specialization in Decorative Painting in 1977.

Institutional Career and Related Disciplines: Following his graduation, he actively integrated into Cuba’s professional artistic community, obtaining official registration as a member of both the Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (ACAA) and the Cuban Fund for Cultural Assets (FCBC). His parallel experience as a decorative painting instructor and his work in scenic painting underpin his absolute mastery of fluid lines, precise glazing, and the use of trompe-l’œil to emulate time-worn mechanical surfaces.

Geographic Transitions and Residencies: He has maintained his primary life and creative center on the island, alternating it with periods of creative production abroad. His career includes stays and artistic production in Mexico (between 2004 and 2007, where he established his studio and coordinated various solo exhibitions in both the Distrito Federal and the State of Mexico, specifically in the municipalities of Chalco, Ixtapaluca, Ozumba, and Tenango del Aire), Italy (2008), and the United States (from 2013 to 2019, at intervals).

Current Status: Resides and works full-time at his permanent residence and studio in Havana, Cuba. From his space on the island, he creates meticulous surrealist works with an impeccable finish, projecting his portfolio toward foreign galleries, international contemporary art fairs, and independent curators in Europe and the United States.

The Matrix of the Surrealist Vessel and Flying Machineries: One of the foundational pillars of his career, characterized by detailed representations of impossible flying ships, floating islands, and fantastic hot-air balloons. These vessels operate as allegorical thresholds symbolizing transience, the existential search for identity, and spiritual journeys through parallel universes.

Trompe-l’œil Cartographies and Celestial Guides: A recurring conceptual motif where the canvas perfectly simulates the visual appearance of ancient parchments, aged blueprints, or weathered navigation charts. These optical illusions represent the individual as an existential traveler navigating the complex boundaries of destiny, history, and physical space.

The Sequence of the Lyrical Protagonist: A distinct thematic block focusing on stylized, elongated human figures, or small itinerant subjects set against vast, atmospheric, and dreamlike horizons. These characters embody the psychological weight of individual choices and human introspection when facing the infinity of the cosmos.

The artist has held 12 solo exhibitions:

• 2023: Designios, Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño, Havana, Cuba.
• 2018: Buscando en la memoria, Galería de Arte Carmen Montilla, Havana, Cuba.
• 2017: Secuencias de un entorno, Galería de Arte del Centro Cultural Cinematográfico Fresa y Chocolate, Havana, Cuba.
• 2016: Enigma, Galería de Arte Angerona, Artemisa, Cuba.
• 2016: Lo infinito del horizonte, Hotel Armadores de Santander, Havana, Cuba.
• 2010: Pretextos, Hotel Parque Central, Havana, Cuba.
• 2007: Música para una sinfonía inconclusa, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
• 2000: Detalles de un instante, Havana, Cuba.
• 1998: Caminos, Galería del Centro Internacional de Periodismo, Havana, Cuba.
• 1997: La huella del tiempo, Galería Wifredo Lam, Marianao, Havana, Cuba. (Collateral exhibition to the VI Havana Biennial).
• 1995: Homenaje a mi Habana, Museo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba.
• 1994: Donde culmina el sueño, Galería Wifredo Lam, Marianao, Havana, Cuba.

The artist has held 12 solo exhibitions:

• 2023: Designios, Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño, Havana, Cuba.
• 2018: Buscando en la memoria, Galería de Arte Carmen Montilla, Havana, Cuba.
• 2017: Secuencias de un entorno, Galería de Arte del Centro Cultural Cinematográfico Fresa y Chocolate, Havana, Cuba.
• 2016: Enigma, Galería de Arte Angerona, Artemisa, Cuba.
• 2016: Lo infinito del horizonte, Hotel Armadores de Santander, Havana, Cuba.
• 2010: Pretextos, Hotel Parque Central, Havana, Cuba.
• 2007: Música para una sinfonía inconclusa, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
• 2000: Detalles de un instante, Havana, Cuba.
• 1998: Caminos, Galería del Centro Internacional de Periodismo, Havana, Cuba.
• 1997: La huella del tiempo, Galería Wifredo Lam, Marianao, Havana, Cuba. Collateral exhibition to the VI Havana Biennial.
• 1995: Homenaje a mi Habana, Museo de la Ciudad, Havana, Cuba.
• 1994: Donde culmina el sueño, Galería Wifredo Lam, Marianao, Havana, Cuba.

The artist has participated in 23 group exhibitions:

• 2026: Artepoli a La Bòbila, Centro Cultural La Bòbila, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
• 2026: Reflexiones Circulares, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, FL, United States.
• 2025: Art Basel: A World of Artistry, Hotel InterContinental, Miami, FL, USA.
• 2025: Dal bozzolo alla farfalla, Museo Venanzo Crocetti, Rome, Italy.
• 2024: Art Basel, Hotel Intercontinental, Miami, FL, United States.
• 2024: El ser infinito, C
• 2013: Doral Art Festival (10th Edition), Doral, FL, United States.
• 2011: 400 Aniversario del hallazgo de la Virgen de la Caridad, Centro de Estudios Félix Varela, Havana, Cuba.
• 2010: De aquí, de allá, Galería de Arte de República Dominicana, Dominican Republic.
• 2009: Presencia, Havana, Cuba.
• 2008: Feria de Arte Latinoamericano, Milan, Italy.
• 2008: Rassegna Italiana de Arte Visiva, Catania Gallery, Catania, Italy.
• 2006: Primera Exposición de Arte Religioso, Parroquia San Francisco Javier, Havana, Cuba.
• 2003: Las 12 sillas de Lam, Galería Flora, Casa de la Cultura de Marianao, Havana, Cuba. (Tribute to the centennial of Wifredo Lam).
• 2001: Salón Provincial de Artes Plásticas, Havana, Cuba.
• 2000: Salón de Arte Colonial, Museo de Arte Colonial, Havana, Cuba.
• 1999: Confluencias, Galería Domingo Ravenet, Havana, Cuba.
• 1998: Salón Wemilere, Galería Concha Ferrant, Guanabacoa, Havana, Cuba.

entro Cívico de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

• 2013: First Prize in Painting, Doral Art Festival (10th Edition), Doral, FL, USA.
• 2008: Candrilli Critics’ Award, Rassegna Italiana de Arte Visiva, Catania, Italy.
• 2008: Recognition from the Apostolic Nunciature in Cuba. Awarded for the official donation of two original works to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the historic pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba, Havana, Cuba.
• 2006: First Prize and Community Award, Primera Exposición de Arte Religioso, Parroquia San Francisco Javier, Havana, Cuba.
• 2000: Grand Prize of the Colonial Art Salon, Museo de Arte Colonial, Havana, Cuba.

• 2026: Catálogo: Reflexiones Circulares [Curaduría: Miguel Rodez]. InCUBAdora, March 24, 2026. Read article. This Spanish-language article concisely summarizes the Cuban contemporary art documentation project, Circular Reflections, and includes the complete artist roster.
• 2024: Alonso, Ángel. “TRAVESIA EN CHIVICHANA (Artists’ Book).” Ángel Alonso VV.AA. A specialized academic analysis exploring the author’s series Nexos and Otros, jugandomuyenserio. The author breaks down the direct integration of philosophical and biblical texts into Rodríguez Barea’s compositions, evaluating the specific arrangement of objects on calm water surfaces that act as reflective bridges toward alternative realities.
• 2023: Alonso, Ángel. “Una puerta abierta que nadie puede cerrar.” Artepoli No. XXXVI (June 2024). [Specialized critical analysis of the artist’s visual poetics].
• 2023: Rodríguez Aguilar, Dr. Jorge Luis. “Critical Article.” Revista por Excelencias (October 31, 2023). ISSN 1024-8439. Written by the professor of Visual Arts from the San Alejandro Academy and the University of the Arts (ISA).
• 2016: [Feature Article / Interview on the solo exhibition]. Periódico Artemiseño (2016). Special publication surrounding his exhibition at the Angerona Gallery. It documents the dialogue with the artist regarding his trompe-l’œil illusions, where Rodríguez Barea explains that these floating islands and complex gears represent his absolute reality, noting that the mystical landscape of Artemisa, Cuba, profoundly impacts and serves as an anchor for his visual vocabulary.

• Kjeldsen Art Archive (Norway).
• José Veigas Visual Arts Archive (Cuba).