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"As an artist I owe myself to my time, as a man to my history."

JOSÉ EMILIO FUENTES FONSECA (JEFF) - Artists - JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY

Biography

J E F F  | | |   biography

[b. 1974, Cuba]

 

José Emilio Fuentes Fonseca (JEFF) is a Cuban artist born in 1974 in the province of Granma, graduated from the Higher Institute of Art. His training and work as plastic artist has been developed in the city of Havana, where he currently resides. Jeff at the age of 13 began to study art and his work has been consolidated as a reflection of his experiences.

His production is characterized by creative versatility. They manage to converge within their trajectory sculptural, pictorial, installation pieces, drawings and everything from a variety of formats that range from small to large dimensions.

Jeff”s works remain impregnated with an expressive language so warm and diaphanous that they seem to refer with apparent innocence to the world of children. However, an evocative look of dissimilar trascendental themes for man prevails in each of his creations. José Emilio Fuentes Fonseca (JEFF) has been a participant in numerous personal and collective exhibitions since 1994. Throughthout his short but intense career, Jeff has been recognized and awarded by important cultural centers and organizations in the country such as the Wilfredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana Gallery, A.H.S Antonia Eiriz, Ludwig Foundation.

Artist Statement

As an artist I owe myself to my time, as a man to my history. My work is a reflection of my experience. Each stage offers my learning. Each What tells me the How. My filter? Maybe it ́s there, it has no purpose. We children speak without a filter and everyone sees us as innocent. I make innocence the culprit of all our ills...

CV

EDUCATON

 

1991  Elementary School of Plastic Arts "Juan Pablo Duarte", Güira de Melena, Cuba.

1996  National School of Art (ENA), Havana, Cuba.

2003  Higher Institute of Art (ISA), Havana, Cuba.

 

SOLO SHOWS


2019  Open Studio. Workshop La Finca #112 Street 14 /11 y 13. Havana, Cuba.

          Pequeñas Cosas (Small Things). Piscolabis. XIII Havana Biennial. Cuba.

2015  Workshop. XII Havana Biennial. MTC, Havana, Cuba.

          AUTOREPUBLICA (Selfrepublic). XII Havana Biennial, Zona Franca, Complejo Morro Cabaña. Havana, Cuba.

2012  Paisaje a los 37 años (Landscape at 37 years). Creation Scholarship. Art Gallery.

2011  Contemporary Art Center Wifredo Lam Gallery, Havana Cuba.

2010  A B C. La Casona Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

          Bajo Cero (Below Zero). Arche Gallery, UNEAC. Santa Clara, Cuba.

2009  Memoria y Memory. Sculptural piece of 12 elephants at the Collateral Expo to the X Havana Biennial, Cuba

          Ya se contar hasta 7 (I know how to count to 7). Tristá Gallery. Trinidad, Cuba.

2008  Milan Triennial Exhibition. Italia.

2006  Sueño que descansa (Sleep that rest). Ángel Romero Gallery. Madrid, Spain.

          Había una vez (Once Upon a Time). La Casona Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2003  S.O.S. Ángel Romero Gallery. Madrid, Spain.

          S.O.S. Amadeo Roldán Theater. Havana, Cuba.

          S.O.S. La Lealtad (The loyalty). Street 29 No. 6419 e/ 64 a y 66. Buena Vista, Playa, Havana, Cuba.

          S.O.S. Contemporary Art Center Wifredo Lam. La Habana, Cuba.

2001  Mucha suerte (Good luck). Ángel Romero Gallery Madrid, Spain.

2000  ¡Mima soy yo! (Baby it ́s me) Habana Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

1998  Cuidado con el niño (Beware of the child). House of Culture Plaza, DUPP Gallery. Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. Havana, Cuba.

1997  La zorra y el cuervo (The Fox and the Raven). Performance, ISA. Havana, Cuba.

          Esta es mi casa (This is my house). Collateral to the VII Biennial of Havana. Servando Cabreras Gallery, Ludwig Foundation. Havana, Cuba

1996  Paisaje a los 21 años (Landscape at 21 years). Visual Arts Development Center. Ludwig Foundation. Havana, Cuba.

1994  El rostro inocente (The innocent face). Álvaro Reinoso Museum. Alquízar, Prov. Havana, Cuba.

 

COLLECTIVE SHOWS

 

2022  Los ojos están sobre los justos (Eyes are on the righteous). Enlace Project. Asturian Center. Havana, Cuba.

          Pícnic Criollo (Creole Picnic). Detrás del Muro Project. XIV Biennial of Havana, Cuba.

          Fabulaciones de la piedra a la PC (Fabulations of the Stone to the PC). Collage Habana Gallery. Havana, Cuba

2021  ACACIA 1.2 Objetos de arte, variedades y fantasías (Art objects, varieties and fantasies). Acacia Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2019  HB. Great Theater of Havana Alicia Alonso. Havana, Cuba.

2018  La Noche Boca Arriba (Night backs). Acacia Gallery. Havana, Cuba. Laan ArtCore Gallery. Miami. United States.

          Fábrica de Arte Cubano Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2017  Octavia Art Gallery. New Orleans, United States.

Cuban Art Now. Singler Larent Museum. Holland.

2015  Hb. Pabexo. Havana, Cuba.

2014  El peso de una idea (The weight of an idea). Collage Habana Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2011  Ámbito Heterotópico (Hetereotopic area). Havana Factory. Havana,Cuba.

2010  PortugalArte. First Biennial. Lisboa, Portugal

          Bomba (Bomb). Contemporary Art Center Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba.

2008  Fisuras (Cracks). Luz y Suárez del Villar Gallery. Madrid, Spain.

2006  Buena Vista. Home-Workshop La Lealtad (The loyalty). Havana, Cuba

2005  Habana 2005. Wolfsen Aalborg Gallery, Denmark

          Wunderkammerll (Paisaje) Nina Menocal Gallery. Mexico DF

          ARCO. Ángel Romero Gallery. Madrid, Spain.

          Fourth Hall of Contemporary Cuban Art. Havana, Cuba.

          Entre el instante y la eternidad (Between instant and eternity). Cuban National Theater. Havana, Cuba

2004  Soñar no cuesta nada (Dreaming costs nothing). Servando Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

          New Installations, Artists in Residence Cuba. MATTRESS FACTORY Pittsburgh, PA. USA.

2003  New Clop Havana (La Nueva Cosecha de La Habana).

          International Biennial Art Invitational. Ace Gallery. Los Angeles, United States.

          Juntos (Together). Tirana Biennial 2. Albania.

          Circuito Cerrado (Closed circuit). National Library. Collateral to the eight Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba.

2002  De tal palo tal astilla (Like father like son). Cultural Center of ICAIC, Havana, Cuba.

2001  Intercambio sin ser conocido (Exchange without being know). Kunts House. Saabruke, Germany.

          Exchange between the Higher Institute of Arts of Havana and the Luminy University of Marseille, France

2000  Con un pensar abstraído (With an abstract Thought). DUPP Gallery. Galería Habana, Havana, Cuba.

          Feria Art Paris. Carroussel del Louvre, Paris, France.

          Lo que se sabe no se pregunta (What is know is not asked). Gallery of ISA. Collateral to the VII Havana Biennial, Cuba.

          Intercambio sin ser conocido (Exchange without being know). Humboldt's House. Havana, Cuba.

          VII Havana Biennial. Cuba.

1999  La Época. Intervención en un espacio público. (The time. Intervention in a public space). DUPP Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

         Entre Coranas. Agromarket 3ra. and C, Vedado. Collateral to the VIII Havana Biennial, Cuba.

         Con un mirar abstraído (With an abstract Thought). Intervención en un espacio público (Intervention in a public space), DUPP Gallery, Havana, Cuba.

          Paint. Malerei aus Kuba. Havana Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland.

 

CATALOGS

 

2019  HB. Contemporary Cuban Art. XIII Havana Biennial, Cuba. Great Theater of Havana.

2015  Zona Franca. Collateral Exhibitions. Contemporary Cuban Art. XII Havana Biennial, Cuba.

          HB. Pabexo. XII Havana Biennial, Cuba.

2012  Contemporary Cuban Art. Ceiba y Turner (Memoria and Memory on front and back cover)

2006  Sueño que descansa (Sleep that rests). Ángel Romero Gallery. Madrid, Spian

2005  Cuarto Salón de Arte Contemporáneo (Fourth Hall of Contemporary Art). Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales (Visual Art Development Center). January- February. Havana. Cuba

2003  Biennial Art Invitation 2003. Los Angeles, United States

          Tirana Biennial 2. Tirana, Albanian.

2002  El doble o la mitad (Double or half). Cultural Center of Spain. Havana, Cuba.

2001  Plástica Contemporánea Cubana (Cuban Contemporary Plastic). Quito. Ecuador.

          Art Cuba: The New Generation. Holly Block. New York.

          Tercer Salón de Arte Cubano Contemporáneo (Third Hall of Contemporary Cuban Art). Havana Cuba.

          Mucha suerte (Good luck). Ángel Romero Gallery. Madrid, Spain.

2000  Transforma (Transform). Havana. Cuba.

          Lo que se sabe no se pregunta (What is know is not asked). ISA. Havana. Cuba.

          Art Paris: Art moderne et creation contemporaine au carrousel dut Louvre.

1998  Segundo Salón de Arte Cubano Contemporáneo. (Second Hall of Cuban Contemporary Art).

 

AWARDS AND MENTIONS

 

2011  Award of the creation scholarship proposed by the Wilfredo Lam Contemporary Art Center. Havana, Cuba.

2010  Curator Award for the Best Curator of the year: Con un pensar abstraído (With an abstract troughth). Galería Habana, Cuba

1999  A.H.S. Antonia Eiriz Award, Havana, Cuba.

1996  Ludwig Foundation Award "Académica 96", Havana, Cuba.

1993  Mention in the Provincial Hall. Eduardo Abela, San Antonio de los Baños, Prov. Havana, Cuba.