Alexi Torres is an artist from
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. He is known for his oil paintings that are painted to appear as if knitted and woven. His artistic inspiration is derived from everyday, organic objects, such as leaves, feathers, basket weavings, and cloth. It is driven by a love of nature and his dedication to perfecting a unique technique of oil painting.
Inspired by his upbringing, Torres views the art making process as planting an idea and harvesting it. He builds the stretchers, stretches the canvases, and primes them himself. As his ancestors did during the harvest, he starts and finishes each work following the cycle of the waning moon.
Alexi Torres was born in 1976 in
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...
, Cuba. He attended the Elemental School of Art in
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...
, Cuba (1989-1991) and the National School of Arts in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
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People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...](_bl ...<br></span></div>, Cuba (1991-1995.) He has had solo exhibitions around the world. His work has also been featured in several group exhibitions and held in the collections of famous figures, such as Will Smith. In fact, in the ABC special from November 19, 2013 featuring magician, David Blaine, Jada Pinkett Smith and the whole family are standing in front of the painting, ReAmerica, while Will Smith, David Blaine, and Jada are performing the illusion.<ref name=autogenerated1></ref>
Torres currently lives and works in <div class=)
and
Zancudo,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. He has shown his work at several art fairs including the
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
International Art Fair, Scope Art Fair, Arthamptons, Art Southamptons, Aspen Fine Art Fair, Palm Beach Art Fair, San Francisco Fine Art Fair, Art Palm Springs, and the
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
Fine Art Fair. He is represented by Contessa Gallery.
Works
Torres' painting ''Reamerica'' depicts an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
flag with a selection of objects, brands and symbols made of basket weaving. ''Redream'' shows a young couple resting on a flag mattress. ''Lucky Bill'' is a twelve foot long two dollar bill. Like many of his other pieces, they are painted in a basket weaving design.
His most recent bodies of work are two series ''We Buy Gold'' (2013) and ''We Buy Silver.'' (2013) The titles of these series were inspired by signs seen by the artist that proclaim "We Buy Gold" and "We Buy Silver." The paintings included present the faces of artists and other historical figures on the faces of coins. They commemorate these celebrated individuals and honor the value of their contributions to the world. They are propositions to use money to buy values. The artist painted portraits of the artist and not the works to encourage others to treasure the human soul more than his or her works.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Alexi
Cuban artists
1976 births
Living people