Armando Mariño is one of the most popular Cuban contemporary artists, known for paintings that are characterized by the luminous colors like yellow, green, pink and orange, alongside with balanced note of dark shadows. Moving from one city and landscape to another has influenced his artistic focus, by putting the figure and the natural environment in the center of his curiosity, exploration, and inspiration. The imagery in Armando’s work is usually part of media reports about everyday social issues like refugees, war, economy crisis, and ecology that he stands out of the crowd at one point, and later incorporates in his art. Painting with oil and watercolors on paper is the preparatory step towards the creation of the final product that is embodied in large-scale canvases. The essential element of his artwork is color, a medium through which the painting itself is expressed.
Armando Mariño was born in Santiago, Cuba in 1968, where he got interested in art as a very young boy. Despite the fact he is coming from a family of scientist and his mother’s plans, he followed his artistic path and dreams. Between 1980-1987 he attended Escuela Provincial de Arte “Joaquín Tejada” in Santiago, and from 1987-1992 he studied at the Facultad de Educación Artística del Instituto Superior Pedagógico “Enrique José Varona” in Havana. Here Armando learned to paint, sculpt and draw from skilled teachers, and expanded his awareness of contemporary art theories and concepts. The artist also got educated at the prestigious Rijksakademie van Beldeende Kunsten in Amsterdam in 2004-2005.
The news, daily life, the landscapes, and pictures on the internet are some of the things that draw Mariño’s attention and influence his creativity. The scenery of palm trees, forests, mountains and open waters that were taken during artist’s trips from Netherlands and France to New York’s Hudson Valley are used as a starting point in his work, and yet the end result actually represents the manipulation of the ‘found material’. The digital aspect that Armando implements to his art opens new narratives to the viewers and leaves them with a reconstructed composition that has lost reference to the initial sense of the picture. Each of his paintings is build up with multiple layers of a strong, vivid, intense, and fluorescent palette of oil or watercolors. Series of artworks like New Paintings from 2016 and The Year of Protesters from 2012 are directly connected to social unrests such as Arab Spring, protests, and rebellion, and show the violent and conflict touch of Armando’s motivation.
Armando Mariño’s artistic capacity and talent are highly appreciated in all parts of the world. He had the honor that his work was a part of such notable collections as the one at the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Deutsche Bank, De Nederlandsche Bank and many more. He participated in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and museums in Paris, Copenhagen, Ontario, and Madrid.
Featured image: Armando Mariño – Portrait
All images courtesy of the artist
Year | Gallery/Museum | Name of Exhibition | Type |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Bedazzled | Lehman College Art Gallery, New York, USA | Group |
2016 | New Paintings | Coats and Scarry, Private view, London, UK | Solo |
2016 | An Island Apart: Cuban Artists in Exile | Fisher Gallery, Ohio, USA | Group |
2015 | Summertime 15– The Big Annual Group Show | Galleri Christoffer Egelund, Denmark | Group |
2014 | Without Mask. Contemporary Afro Cuban Art | Museum of Anthropology of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada | Group |
2014 | Post Picasso. Contemporary Reactions | Museo Picasso, Barcelona, Spain | Group |
2013 | Citizens of the World. Cuba in Queens | The Queen Museum, New York, USA | Group |
2013 | Revolutionary Island: Tales of Cuban History and Culture | Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, California, USA | Group |
2013 | Lenguaje de Papel | Fernando Pradilla Gallery, Madrid, Spain | Group |
2012 | Skyline Adrift. Cuban Art and Architecture | Art Omi Sculpture Field Park, New York, USA | Group |
2012 | Building Identities. Contemporary Cuban Art from the Shelly and Donald Rubin Private Collection | Cleveland Clinic’s Art Program Arts & Medicine Institute, OH USA | Group |
2012 | The Waste Land | Thomas Jaeckel Gallery, New York NY, USA | Solo |
2012 | Under the Red Light | Galerie Christoffer Egelund, Copenhagen, Denmark | Solo |
2012 | Recent Paintings from the Year of the Protester | 8th Floor Space, New York NY USA | Solo |
2011 | Keloids. Race and Racism in the Cuban Contemporary Art | The 8th Floor, New York, USA | Group |
2011 | Sinergias. Latin-American Art in Spain Macuf | Contemporary Art Museum Union Fenosa, Coruna, Spain | Group |
2010 | Cuban Avant-garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection | Katonah Art Museum, New York, USA | Group |
2010 | Sinergias. Latin-American Art in Spain | MEIAC, Badajoz, Spain | Group |
2010 | Keloids | Mattress Factory, Pittsburg, USA | Group |
2010 | Keloids | Centro Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba | Group |
2010 | Cuban Avant-garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection | Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, FL, USA | Group |
2010 | Without Mask. Contemporary Afro-Cuban Art | Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa | Group |
2009 | Cuban Avant-garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection | The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Canada | Group |
2009 | Drilling America | Pan American Art Projects, Miami, FL, USA | Solo |
2008 | Visiones Publicas. Pasiones Privadas | Contemporary Art Museum of Vigo, Vigo, Spain | Group |
2008 | Cuban Avant-garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection | Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, California, USA | Group |
2008 | Deconstruct | Hof & Huyser Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2008 | Something and Something Else | Exhibition Oce Art Foundation in Museum Van Bommel van Dam, Venlo Netherlands | Group |
2007 | Restos. Estudio Arteologico. Muestra tematica de la coleccion permanente | Contemporary Art Museum of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Group |
2007 | Cuban Avant-garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection | Ringling Museum, Tampa Florida, USA | Group |
2007 | Cuban Avant-garde: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Farber Collection | Harn Museum of Art , Florida USA | Group |
2007 | Interiors | Fernando Pradilla Gallery, Madrid, Spain, | Solo |
2007 | Tervuern’s Tales | Grusenmeyer Art Gallery Deurle, Belgium, | Solo |
2006 | The Night inside of the painter’s house | Galerie Jean Brolly, Paris France | Solo |
2006 | More than Meet the Eyes. Perspectives from The Robert E Holmes Collection | California Africa-American Museum L,A, USA | Group |
2006 | Looking Back, Looking Black African-American, African, and Latino Images from the Robert E. Holmes Collection | The Kansas African-American Museum, Kansas USA | Group |
2006 | New Acquisitions | CBK Ámsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2006 | Crash-Clash | Hof & Huyser Gallery, Ámsterdam, The Netherlands | Solo |
2005 | Berezdivin Collection | Espacio 1414, Opening Exhibition, San Juan, Puerto Rico | Group |
2005 | Mi Cuerpo, Mi Pais. Cuban Art Today | U,V,A Art Museum, University of Virginia, Virginia, USA | Group |
2005 | Contemporary Paintings of Latin-America | The DeVos Museum, Northern Michigan University USA | Group |
2005 | New Paintings. Group show | Hof & Huyser Gallery, Ámsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2005 | New adquisitions | The Nederlandsche Bank, Ámsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2005 | Winter Show | Hof & Huyser Gallery, Ámsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2005 | Young Painters | Grusenmeyer Art Galerie, Deurle, Belgium, | Group |
2005 | Beautiful World. Project Room Oost | Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Ámsterdam, Netherlands | Solo |
2005 | Open Ateliers | Rijskakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2005 | Recent Paintings | Fernando Pradilla Gallery, Madrid, Spain, | Solo |
2004 | Open Ateliers | Rijskakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Group |
2004 | Collective | Galeria METTA, Madrid, Spain | Group |
2004 | Paintings..Project Room East | Rijsakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Solo |
2004 | Inside-outside. Contemporary Cuban Art | Charlotte and Phillp Hanes Art Galllery, Wake Forest University, Florida, USA | Group |
2003 | La Colección | Espacio Camargo, Cantabria, Spain | Group |
2003 | Centimetro a centimetro | Fernado Pradilla Gallery, Madrid, Spain | Group |
2003 | Esteticamente correcto | Fernando Pradilla Gallery, Madrid, Spain, | Solo |
2003 | VIII Bienal de la Habana | La Cabaña, Havana, Cuba | Group |
2003 | Catastrofe Minime | Museo de Nuoro, Cerdana, Italy | Group |
2002 | DerGlobalKomplex. OK | Centrum fur Gegenwartskunst, Linz, Austria | Group |
2002 | Erased Border. Contemporary Fair | Project Room, Miami FL, USA | Group |
2002 | Botin | Marcelino Botin Foundation, Santander, Spain | Group |
2002 | From my bathtub | Galeria RAY GUN, Valence, Spain | Solo |
2002 | Arte en las Venas | Museo Cruz Herrera, La Linea de la Concepción, Cadiz, Spain | Solo |
2002 | Con permiso de mi antropólogo | Galeria Ad Hoc, Vigo, Spain | Solo |
2001 | Más Allá | Museo Iberoamericano de Arte contemporáneo,(MEIAC) Badajoz, Spain | Solo |
2001 | La angustia de las influencias | Galería Theredoom, Barcelona, Spain | Solo |
2001 | In utero | Gary Nader Fine Art, Miami, USA | Solo |
2000 | The Young Ones | Gary Nader Fine Art, Miami, USA, | Group |
2000 | Más Allá | Centro Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba | Solo |
2000 | Recent paintings | International Art Studio Valjevo, Yugoslavia | Solo |
1999 | Para los otros del tercer mundo | Galería Ángel Romero, Madrid, Spain | Solo |
1999 | Recent Works | Gary Nader Fine Art, Miami, USA | Solo |
1999 | Internacional Exhibition | ART-OMI Residency, New York, USA | Group |
1998 | XXXe Festival internacional de la Peinture | Château-Musée Grimaldi, Cagnes sur Mer, France | Group |
1998 | Hidden Art of Revolution | Contemporary Cuban Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Group |
1998 | Caribe, exclusión, fragmentación y paraíso | M,E,A,C, (Museo Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, Badajoz, Spain | Group |
1998 | Obra Reciente | ala de Exposiciones Palacio de Abrantes, Salamanca, Spain | Solo |
1997 | Inside | International Art Exhibition, Kassel, Germany | Group |
1997 | Obra Reciente | Galería Ángel Romero, Madrid, Spain | Solo |
1997 | VI Bienal de La Habana | Casona del Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales, Havana, Cuba | Group |
1996 | Nostra Nusquama | Galería Espacio Estudio, Havana, Cuba | Solo |
1996 | Tercera Bienal de Pintura del Caribe | Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Group |
1996 | Río Almendrales. Ni fresa ni chocolate | CENCREM, Havana, Cuba | Group |
1996 | Des-Colon-izando el entorno | Centro Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba | Solo |
1995 | Untitled | Primer Salón Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo Cubano, Castillo de la Fuerza y Palacio de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba | Group |
1994 | Los dados de medianoche | Galería Espuela de Plata, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba | Group |
1993 | Arqueología de la Simulación | Centro de Arte 23 y 12, Havana, Cuba | Solo |
1990 | El Objeto esculturado | Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba | Group |