Eduardo Roca Salazar (Choco) is a personable and approachable artist, producing a graphically strong body of collage images.
He builds his plates in layers of gesso, cardboard, wire, wood veneer, cordurory fabric and other 3-dimensional materials. Each print is inked separately and the runs are limited.
Choco's current works seem to be composed of three basic elements: strong textures, unusual atmospheres and a personal interlacing of spacial abstractions with silhouettes. There is a mixture of eroticism, Christianity and African religions, incorporated into the unique circumstance of living in Cuba.
He has had primary personal exhibitions in Angola, Sweden, San Francisco, Mexico, Spain, Columbia, Puerto Rico and Tokyo, winning many awards. A most important honor for him was the award, Great Prize in the Triennial of Kochi, Japan for his collage graphic, "Elegua."
Choco's printing plates, themselves, have toured in exhibition.
_____________________________________________
"I was born in Santiago de Cuba on 13th October 1949. I didn't go to art school as a child and it was only after the Revolution that I started on the path which eventually led me to becoming an artist.
"After studying for three years at the National School of Instructors of Art, my artistic vocation was clearly defined. After my final examination, I studied for a further five years at the Superior School of Art, where I finished my studies in 1968.
"I then completed a year's practical teaching at the San Alejandro Academy. I finally returned to my home town and took up postgraduate studies at the Art School there.
"I have learned a lot from the great masters. To name just three names: Roualt, Rembrandt and above all, Goya. From Rembrandt, I learned to handle light and shade, from Roualt about colors, and I owe so much to Goya, tht trying to make any list would risk overlooking many aspects. In our country, I admire the work of Cabrera Moreno and Antonia Eiriz."
- Interview with Cuban Fine Art interviewer -
A full bio is available. |
