“Made in Cuba is created both physically and conceptually with pieces of Cuban reality, inspired by fragments of daily routine on the Island. I want the viewer to understand Cuban experience. I hope my art will have that magical touch: to establish involvement with the viewer, to better understand Cuba through this experience. I hope people connect to the art and see more to it than even I intended to project. I am sure that this opportunity to exhibit my work in Reading, meeting a lot of new people on the way, will enrich the soul of the artist in me.” — Julio Cepeda
Made in Cuba
A video about Julio's process in his own words
About Julio C. Cepeda Duque
Julio C. Cepeda Duque was born in 1973 in the town of Jarahueca, in the province of Santi Espíritus, Cuba. His training began in 1995 in the workshops of the artist Julio Neira, a painter and sculptor from the city of Santi Espíritus. In 1997 he entered the professional art academy Samuel Feijoo in the city of Santa Clara, graduating in 2000. His thesis addressed the function of abstraction within the aesthetic. After graduation he was a professor at the Raúl Martínez academy for one year. 2004 saw him win the Oscar Fernández Morera Award, with his work Manifestación Infinito: approaching science from an artistic and conceptual aesthetic.
In 2006 he joined the “Abstract Spirit” group. From 2008 to 2010 he created art independently in Havana. He moved to Trinidad in 2010, where he works with another group of artists with similar concerns. Several collective and personal projects have resulted. In 2015, he obtained the ART COMIC award from the city of Camagüey and at the same time began work for Made in Cuba using the principles of recycling and identity.
Visiting Artist Workshop: Sept. 8-9
During this 2-day workshop students will learn mixed-media collage assemblage techniques from Cuban Visiting Artist, Julio Cepeda. Working with Julio, discover how ordinary objects can be grouped and transformed into complex and beautiful pieces of art. Elements of composition, drawing, painting, color, finishes and patinas are all addressed. Leave this workshop with a finished piece of recycled, assemblage art and a new way of working!