Antonio Gómez Margolles

Havana, Cuba (1972)

About Artist

Antonio Gómez Margolles (Havana, 1972) is a prominent Cuban visual artist and professor at the Faculty of Visual Arts of the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana, the same institution where he studied from 1992 to 1999, following his training at the “20 de Octubre” Elementary School of Visual Arts, beginning in 1987. His academic and creative career has been marked by intensive teaching activity and a sustained artistic production spanning over three decades. Since the early 1990s, he has held numerous solo exhibitions, including A Place to Call My Own (2023), an anthology showcasing works from 1997 to 2022 at the Center for the Development of Visual Arts, as well as solo shows at major galleries in Havana, the Canary Islands, and New Zealand. Among his early exhibitions are The Present Structure (1992) and Await a Miracle (1998), which already reflected a reflective and experimental vocation. In parallel, his participation in group exhibitions has been constant both in Cuba and internationally. He has taken part in events linked to various editions of the Havana Biennial and exhibited at important venues such as the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Galería Habana, and the National Museum of Fine Arts. His work has also been shown in cities… Read more Show less

Antonio Gómez Margolles (Havana, 1972) is a prominent Cuban visual artist and professor at the Faculty of Visual Arts of the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana, the same institution where he studied from 1992 to 1999, following his training at the “20 de Octubre” Elementary School of Visual Arts, beginning in 1987. His academic and creative career has been marked by intensive teaching activity and a sustained artistic production spanning over three decades.

Since the early 1990s, he has held numerous solo exhibitions, including A Place to Call My Own (2023), an anthology showcasing works from 1997 to 2022 at the Center for the Development of Visual Arts, as well as solo shows at major galleries in Havana, the Canary Islands, and New Zealand. Among his early exhibitions are The Present Structure (1992) and Await a Miracle (1998), which already reflected a reflective and experimental vocation.

In parallel, his participation in group exhibitions has been constant both in Cuba and internationally. He has taken part in events linked to various editions of the Havana Biennial and exhibited at important venues such as the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Galería Habana, and the National Museum of Fine Arts. His work has also been shown in cities like Milan, Palermo, Shanghai, and Oswego, underscoring the international reach of his artistic practice.

Gómez Margolles has been invited to artist residency programs at prestigious institutions, including the Contemporary Art Museum at the University of South Florida (USA) and the MIRÓ Gallery in Berlin–Prague–Bratislava, where he resided in 1999. These experiences have enriched his artistic discourse and helped consolidate a visual poetics engaged with the tensions of context and memory.

His work is part of private and public collections in Cuba, Spain, France, Mexico, the United States, Germany, and New Zealand, reflecting the broad impact and favorable reception of his artistic vision. The artist has also contributed to the organization of exhibition spaces and curatorial initiatives, as part of his pedagogical vocation and deep engagement with Cuba’s contemporary cultural landscape.

Antonio Gómez Margolles has established himself as an active and significant figure in the Cuban art scene. His work is characterized by a continuous exploration of territory, identity, and social processes, using diverse media and visual languages. As both creator and educator, he has made a meaningful contribution to critical thinking in contemporary Cuban art.

Subjects Text

Mediums & techniques Acrylic, Mixed-Media

Curriculum

Solo Exhibitions

January 2023 – A Place to Call My Own, Anthological exhibition. Selection of works 1997–2022. Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
September – October 2017 – Weak or Nonexistent Signals, Rubén Martínez Villena Gallery, Havana, Cuba.
November 2015 – Dialelos, Villa Manuela Gallery, H Street No. 406 between 17th and 19th, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.
June 2005 – Approach, R. M. Villena Gallery, Plaza de Armas (Obispo 59 between Oficios and Baratillo), Old Havana, Cuba.
September 2004 – Deep Prints, Hav.Gallery, 17 Great North Road, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand.
December 2001 – Infertile Actions, sponsored by the Department of Culture, Los Llanos de Aridane, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
November 2000 – Recent Works, Salvador Allende Memorial House Gallery, collateral to the 7th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
April – May 2000 – Recent Works, Department of Culture Gallery, Los Llanos de Aridane, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
September 1999 – On Infertility and Sterility, Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
February 1999 – Recent Works, Department of Culture Gallery, Los Llanos de Aridane, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
April 1998 – Await a Miracle, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
January 1997 – Heritage, Luis de Soto Gallery, Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Havana, Cuba.
May 1993 – Common Points, Casa del Joven Creador, Havana, Cuba.
May 1992 – The Present Structure, Luis de Soto Gallery, Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Havana, Cuba.

Group Exhibitions

November – December 2023: HB. Exhibition of Contemporary Cuban Art. Galería Habana, Havana, Cuba.
November – December 2023: TERRITORY TO THINK. Beyond Art and Cartographies. International Press Center, Havana, Cuba.
October – December 2023: OUT OF PLACE. Antoniomargolles Studio-Workshop La Casa del Río, Havana, Cuba.
October – November 2023: Juana de las flores. Art space La Lavandería, Havana, Cuba.
January – February 2023: REQUIEM. Arco de Belén Space, Havana, Cuba.
September – October 2022: Where I Exist in Peace, I Dwell. Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
October – November 2022: Territorial Water. Hispano-American Center for Culture, Havana, Cuba.
December 2020 – January 2021: New Acquisitions 2019–2020. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba.
November – December 2019: I Don’t Know What a House Is. Project for La Fugitiva Cultural Center, Havana, Cuba.
July 2019: The Place Where One Feels So Good. Galería Habana, Havana, Cuba.
April – May 2019: Good Lock Mr. Gorsky. Collateral to the 12th Havana Biennial. Creative Spaces, Havana, Cuba.
April – May 2019: ISA Gallery. Collateral to the 12th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
November – December 2016: Metallic Taste. Villa Manuela Gallery, H Street No. 406 between 17th and 19th, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.
October – December 2016: Non Places. Villa Manuela Gallery, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.
July – September 2016: Cuba. Tatuare la Storia. ZAC Zisa Arti Contemporanee, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
March – April 2016: The Mother of All Arts. Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
May – June 2015: The Arrival at Failure. Pavilion K13, Zona Franca, Morro Cabaña Historical Military Complex. Collateral to the 12th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
May – June 2015: Degenerate Systems (with Néstor Martí). Entresuelo Gallery, Palacio de Lombillo. Collateral to the 12th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
September – October 2014: The Other Narratives. Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
May – June 2014: 30th Anniversary of the Havana Biennial. A Living Laboratory. Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
March – April 2014: They Meet While Rolling. Urbanism Museum, Shanghai, China.
March 2014: Make a Statement. Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
January 2014: Imagining Cuba. Fototeca de Cuba, Havana, Cuba.
March – April 2013: Imagining Cuba. Tyler Art Gallery, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, USA.
January – March 2011: OPEN SCORE. Contemporary Art Museum, Institute for Research in Art, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
April – May 2011: OPEN SCORE. 11th Havana Biennial. Hispano-American Center for Culture, Havana, Cuba.
April – May 2011: 11th Havana Biennial: Social Practices and Imaginaries. Main Exhibition. Gran Teatro de La Habana, Cuba.
April – May 2011: NOW I CAN READ. Image and Text in Latin American Art. Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
March 2011: SPRAY. ART LAB 21, Hochhaus Hansa, Dortmund, Bonn, Germany.
June 2010: PORTUGAL AR TE 10. EDP. A Survey of Contemporary Art. Lisbon, Grândola, Portimão, Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal.
October 2010: Fragmentations (with Luis Gómez). LA CASONA Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
September – October 2009: DATA. Servando Gallery, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.
March – April 2009: DUBAI 2015. Casa Simón Bolívar Gallery, Old Havana. Collateral to the 10th Havana Biennial, Cuba.
June – July 2007: Multiplied Spaces. Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
June – July 2006: Arth. Goth. LA CASONA Art Center, Old Havana, Cuba.
December 2006 – January 2007: Two Shores II. ESPACIO 2002 Gallery, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain.
June – July 2006: Two Shores. R. M. Villena Gallery, Plaza de Armas, Old Havana, Cuba.
March – April 2006: The Missing Word. Havana Club Rum Museum Gallery. Collateral to the 9th Havana Biennial, Cuba.
2005: IV Toronto International Art Fair – ART TORONTO, Canada.
July 2005: International Photography Fair “Photo San Francisco”. Booth 8 (The Cuban Art Gallery, New York, USA).
February 2005: Entropicos Vol. II, PAIZ Foundation, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala.
May 2004: Abstract May, Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
May 2004: Obligated Contingency, Exhibition Hall of the Parliament of Mérida, Junta de Extremadura, Mérida, Spain.
March 2004: A Stone in the Shoe, Santa Inés Exhibition Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art of Andalusia, Seville, Spain.
December 2003: Contemporary Artists of Cuba, Hav.Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand.
November 2003: Resonance, Casa Museo de Asia. Collateral to the 8th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
September 2003: Suspended Habits, Fototeca de Cuba, Havana, Cuba.
November 2002: Mirrors, Spanish Cultural Center (CEE), Havana, Cuba.
September 2001: Restlessness, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
March 2001: Cuban Art Exhibition, Miró Gallery (UNESCO), Paris, France.
October 2000: Cuban Painting, Cultural Center of Managua, Nicaragua.
July – August 2000: One Hand... and Both?, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
January 2000: End of the Century. The Conjunction of Nothingness, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
November – December 1999: Cuban Art Today, Escritorio de Arte Gallery, São Paulo, Brazil.
November 1999: Fotocopiart, Collateral Exhibition to the National Photography Salon '99, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
September 1999: International Workshop of Contemporary Art, Miró Gallery, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava.
September 1999: Grandhouse Art, Miró Gallery, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava.
July 1999: Painting for Peace, UNESCO, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
November 1998 – January 1999: Second Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
April 1998: Without Barbs, Wifredo Lam Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
April 1996: Algorithms II, Wifredo Lam Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
November 1995 – January 1996: First Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba.
May – June 1995: Algorithms: Five ISA Artists, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
April 1995: Exhibition for the 8th International Conference on Art and Culture Research, Palacio de las Convenciones, Havana, Cuba.
May 1994: Green Guavas Don't Count, Collateral Exhibition to the 5th Havana Biennial, ISA Gallery, Havana, Cuba.
1991: 4th Mirta Serra Salon of Visual Arts, Bejucal, Havana, Cuba.

Collections

Hav. Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand.
MIRÓ Gallery, Berlin–Prague–Bratislava.
Private collections in Cuba, Spain, France, USA, and Mexico.

Meet the Artist

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