Visual Art
2014 Next Wave Festival Cover Artist: Juan Roberto Diago
Performance dates are highlighted in white.
Roberto Diago
Aqui Estoy, 2014
mixed media
78.74 × 59.06 inches
(200 × 150 cm)
Known for interweaving elements of his Afro-Cuban roots and involvement with the Abakua, an all-male religious secret society, Roberto Diago addresses issues of race, slavery, and religion in his artwork. He figuratively incorporates both historical and contemporary references through a variety of materials, such as canvas, bamboo, and recycled materials in collages, the use of text and religious symbols bringing subjects of the past into today.
Diago graduated from the Academia de Artes Plásticas San Alejandro in Havana in 1990 and is a member of the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC). He has exhibited internationally and recently particpated in the 2012 Havana Bienal, Queloides at the Mattress Factory, Harvard University, and the 8th Floor. He was awarded the Juan Francisco Elso Prize by the National Fine Arts Museum, Cuba.
As part of BAM’s acclaimed Cover Artist program, each season features artwork from internationally recognized artists on its BAMbill performance program covers. Past participating artists include Roy Lichtenstein, Willem de Kooning, Donald Baechler, Phillip Taaffe and Chuck Close.
