In my work, I am inquiring about the problematic and subjective notion of power by altering the historical role of portraits in society. For centuries, portraiture was used as a method for the bourgeoisie to demonstrate their wealth and success through the use of extravagant decorations and garments. My intention in this series is to deconstruct the representation of power and opulence.
This series is about the uncertainty of what real power means and who has it. It presents critical issues that tend to remain silent. It is about repurposing the meaning of power and constructing hope. The hop
Carlos Gamez de Francisco (b.1987, Holguin, Cuba) lives and works in Prospect, KY. He has received numerous awards including 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.
Awards 2019 Honorable Mention, 2019 Tokio International Photo Awards, Tokio, Japan
Bronze, 2019 Moscow International Photo Awards, Moscow, Russia
2018 Honorable Mention, 30th Anual Decatur Arts Festival, Decatur, GA
2017 Museum Guild Purchase Award, Evansville Museum, Evansville, IN
2016 Ox Bow Merit Scholarship, Ox Bow School of Art, Saugatuck, MI
Capital Professional Development Program, 21c Museum, Louisville, KY
2015 SAIC Distinguished Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
SAIC Grants, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kurtich Travel Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2012 Key to the City of Louisville by Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville, KY
2011 Norman Kohlepp Merit Awards. Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
2010 Capital Professional Development Program, 21c Museum, Louisville.
2009 “Dreammakers” Artist in Residence. Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville, KY
2008 City Award. Visual Art Association, Holguín, Cuba
2007 Best Performance. XXI Provincial Visual Art Exhibition, Holguín, Cuba
Best Short Film in the Seventh
National Festival of Audiovisual “By First Time”.Cuba
2006 Exhibit of Illustrated Poetry. Holguin Gallery, Holguin, Cuba
