Carlos Gamez de Francisco (b.1987, Holguin, Cuba) lives and works in Fort Myers, FL. He has received numerous awards including the Fine Art Photographer of the Year at the Moscow International Photo Awards; the Museum Guild Purchase Award at Evansville Museum; the SAIC Distinguished Scholarship at The Art Institute of Chicago; the Key to the City of Louisville by Mayor Greg Fischer; and the “Dreammakers” Artist in Residence at Muhammad Ali Center. He has had solo shows at 21c Museum, Bentonville, AR; Kenise Barnes Fine Art, Larchmont, NY; Hardcore Art Contemporary Space, Miami, FL; Muhammad Ali Museum, Louisville, KY; and the Colonial Museum of Fine Arts, Havana. Gamez de Francisco is represented in the collections of the 21c Museum, Louisville, KY; the Fashion Resource Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; the Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center, Miami, FL; the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Owensboro, KY; and the Louisville Metro Hall, Louisville, KY. His work has been exhibited at Taipei International Convention Center, Taipei, Taiwan (2023), Art Market San Francisco (2022), Scope-Art Basel, Miami (2022, 2021, and 2012), Context Art Miami (2016), Art Southampton (2015), and Art Palm Beach (2014 

I was born in post-revolutionary Cuba in 1987 and educated in an academic

setting heavily governed by the Russian Academy. This frame of reference is

evident in all of my work. To deny my experiences, perceptions, and the

impact of history would be disregarding my own existence. These influences are

the lens through which I create and the motivation that propels me.

Cuban history has guided me in a variety of ways. On the one hand, it

allows me to rethink the way storytelling is part of our memories. On the other, it

allows me to question the accuracy of history and its telling. This conflict

absorbed me during my early years and continues to engage me as I complete

my artistic education. Currently, this near-obsession with the past translates into

figures, scenarios, and most importantly, the recreation of my own stories.

In Cuba, I was exposed to figurative arts by the presence of

the Russian Academy. This presence, as well as the censorship of contemporary

art and the limited access to information, was the accepted dogma.

Consequently, I understood that decontextualizing epochs and artistic symbols

was the tool I could use to establish a connection between the present and the

past. The resulting work provides an escape from reality and creates an illusory

world. I am more fascinated by altering history than depicting it accurately.