A Brief Bio
Born (1959) in Havana, Cuba, Agustin Rolando Rojas was formally trained at the University of Fine Arts, Havana, with an emphasis on printmaking. From 1983-1996, he taught printmaking at the university before fleeing Cuba in 1997 to accept the position of Artist in Resident at the Banff Center for the Arts in Calgary, Canada. In exchange for artistic and personal freedom, Rojas was forced to leave behind family, friends and a homeland that had been a caldron of revolution since his birth.
After living in Canada for six years, Agustin Rojas moved to Miami, and later to Norfolk. Released from the artistic and physical constraints of Cuban communism, he has exhibited prints and paintings in exhibitions, galleries and museums around the world, from Canada, Mexico, and Brazil to Spain, Sweden, and Japan… and of course, the United States.
The theme of loss and separation can be found in a series of images that symbolize families and individuals who have been uprooted from their homeland. "Whirlwind" (Remolino) refers to Cubans divided over the effect of Castro’s dictatorship; "Dangerous Coast" (Costa peligrosa) and "A Raft Off The Coast" (Balsa cerca de la Costa) reference Cubans fleeing to the States by way of a treacherous, often deadly, shark infested ocean voyage. The “raft” of the title is nothing more than an inner-tube, a symbol of how desperate people were to escape by any means possible. In "Flight Over the Abyss" (Vuelo sobre el abismo) the vulture of death casts as shadow over the land. (Created in Cuba, this large scale etching pays homage to Andrew Wyeth, an artist greatly admired by Rojas. The sadness of "Depression" (Bajo Presion) and "Interior of Disgrace" (Bajo Presion) – both influenced by Wyeth- pay tribute to the more than 20,000 people who have died attempting to leave Cuba.
The triptych "We Are Divided" (Estamos Divididos) and "Resistencia" speak to the flexibility and enduring spirit of the Cuban people. "The Palm", the national tree of Cuba, bends and sways in a hurricane, but remains firmly rooted in the soil. The feather, for all its grace and beauty, also bends and returns to its original shape.
Reunion and hope are the themes of "Praying for Peace" (Oracion por la paz), and "Forgiveness" ( Perdonar), In "It’s Been A Long Time Since I’ve Seen You" (Hace mucho tiempo que no los veo) a family is emotionally reunited. "Give Me a Hug, Please" (Dame un abrazo por favor) inspires bright colors and a loving gesture, while "Let Me Hug You" (Dejame abrazarte) includes the national flower of Cuba, the fragrant “Mariposa” (butterfly) plant -Zingiberaceae: Hedychium Coronarium Koenig. And finally, artist Agustin Rojas celebrates the joy of dance, music and being together in the double image "With the Same Rhythm" (Con el mismo ritmo).