José Miguel Cano
José Miguel Cano Álvarez (la Habana, 1999) is a Cuban visual artist trained at the National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro (2016–2020) and at the Faculty of Visual Arts of the University of the Arts (ES UN), where he pursued studies between 2022 y 2025. His academic training has been complemented by a wide range of specialized workshops in drawing, grabado, fotografía, site-specific practice, digital collage, cerámica, and lithography, contributing to a plural artistic practice in constant exploration.
Desde 2022, he has presented solo exhibitions in institutional spaces, galerías, and virtual platforms in Cuba and abroad. Las exposiciones notables incluyen Punto muerto. Logbook of a Prolonged Uncertainty (Galería Taller Gorría, 2025), Thoughts Are Free (ES UN, 2024), y Proyecto de inventario (Fundación Ludwig de Cuba, 2023), as well as participation in international platforms such as ArteMorfosis in Zurich.
His work has been featured in numerous national and international group exhibitions, including the 15th Havana Biennial, the Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art, the 13th Havana Biennial, video art festivals in New York, and exhibitions in Mexico, Colombia, and virtual environments. These participations demonstrate a sustained projection within the contemporary Cuban art scene, with integration into both institutional and alternative circuits.
Entre 2021 y 2023, he worked as a lecturer in the Drawing and Printmaking departments at the San Alejandro Academy. His work has been reviewed in catalogs, libros, and specialized publications, and is part of collections such as the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), ArteMorfosis - Plataforma de Arte Cubano, and the Los Carbonell Foundation. His trajectory confirms an active and reflective presence within the current landscape of emerging Cuban art.
He was recently awarded the Grand Prize at the third edition of the Malayerba competition, organized by the Los Carbonell Foundation.
Plan de estudios
EDUCATION
2022–2025 — Faculty of Visual Arts, Universidad de las Artes (ES UN)
2016–2020 — National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro
WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2023
— Anthropological Portrait. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Analog Photography. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Site-Specific Workshop. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
2022
— Digital Collage for Pictorial Transfer. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
2019
— Ceramics Workshop. Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, la Habana, Cuba.
2018
— Polymer Lithography Workshop. Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, la Habana, Cuba.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2021–2023
— Drawing Department, Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, la Habana, Cuba.
— Printmaking Department, Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, la Habana, Cuba.
2024 — Thoughts Are Free. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
2023 — Proyecto de inventario. Fundación Ludwig de Cuba, la Habana, Cuba.
2022 — Through the Hoop. ArteMorfosis virtual platform, Plataforma de Arte Cubano, Zurich, Suiza.
2025
— Broken Arrows. La Casa del Río Studio Workshop, la Habana, Cuba.
— media pensión 2025. Arte Cubano Contemporáneo. Galería La Nave, la Habana, Cuba.
— malayerba. Tercera edición, White Hall of the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco of Assisi, la Habana, Cuba.
— Rompecabezas. 5décima edición, Galería Taller Gorría (GTG), la Habana, Cuba.
— A Stone’s Throw Away. Curatorial Grant 2024, Centro para el Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Bucle experimental. 3rd Edition, Festival Internacional de Videoarte, NYLAAT Gallery, Isla de los Gobernadores, Nueva York, Estados Unidos.
2024
— Limbo. 15a Bienal de La Habana, Pabellón Cuba, la Habana, Cuba.
— Domes Project. 15a Bienal de La Habana, Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Llamarada. Casa Borda Museum, Taxco de Alarcón, México.
— 6th Biennial. From Here. (Virtual platform), Bucaramanga, Colombia.
— Decrystallization. 9El salón del arte cubano contemporáneo, El Arsenal, la Habana, Cuba.
— 13 Historias + Uno. Fundación Ludwig de Cuba, la Habana, Cuba.
— Making It to the End of the Month. Fundación Ludwig de Cuba, la Habana, Cuba.
2023
— malayerba. First Edition, White Hall of the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco of Assisi, la Habana, Cuba.
— Rompecabezas. 3rd Edition, Galería Taller Gorría (GTG), la Habana, Cuba.
2022
— Vertigo. Another History of Appearances. Galería Taller Gorría (GTG), la Habana, Cuba.
— Estratos del intersticio. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Soft Varnish. Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC), la Habana, Cuba.
— Publícalo 9. Galería Galiano, la Habana, Cuba.
— Digital Summer Show (MoCDA), Decentraland platform.
— Cumulus. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Barter Strokes. Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
— Transoceanic Collaborative Encounters. Virtual Exchange Project, Instituto Superior de Arte (ES UN), Facultad de Artes Visuales, la Habana, Cuba.
2021
— Class-room IV. Galería La Nave, la Habana, Cuba.
2020
— Universe 8. The Investigation. 8El salón del arte cubano contemporáneo, social media platforms of the Center for the Development of Visual Arts (CDAV), la Habana, Cuba.
— Prism. Colors After the Crisis. (Virtual exhibition), Cuban Art Platform ArteMorfosis, 2019.
2019
— 500 x 500. Luz y Oficio Visual Arts Center, la Habana, Cuba.
— Testing Strength. 13a Bienal de La Habana, Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, la Habana, Cuba.
2018
— Diarios de mayo. El Artista Gallery, la Habana, Cuba.
— 200 Years of San Alejandro. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Cuban Art Collection, la Habana, Cuba.
Ella Cisneros Collection, Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), Estados Unidos.
ArteMorfosis - Plataforma de Arte Cubano, Zurich, Suiza.
Los Carbonell Foundation, Panamá.
