Until May 11, the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid (Calle Alcalá, 49) is exhibiting Fabelo. Grafomanía, a selection of works by Roberto Fabelo, a Cuban artist who works in diverse languages such as painting, sculpture, and illustration, in its exhibition hall. Free admission until full capacity is reached.
144 drawings made on various surfaces, six paintings, and one sculpture constitute a journey through works of different formats, selected by curator Mario José Hernández, from strange and dreamlike images that combine elements of reality and fantasy with meticulous attention to detail in a symbolic interpretation. Using vibrant colors and intricate compositions in his paintings, drawings, and sculptures, he often depicts fantastic creatures, anthropomorphic animals, and human figures, which, due to their rich symbolism and allegorical narrative, are compared to Goya.
Painter, draftsman, engraver, illustrator, and sculptor, Roberto Fabelo was born in Guáimaro, Cuba, on January 28, 1950. He spent his childhood in his hometown, where he constantly drew on various pieces of paper found anywhere. His passion for drawing—or “graphomania,” as he calls it—originated at that moment, and what began as a recreational activity gradually became a vice as he realized that any medium was good for letting his imagination flow, conceiving strokes with pencil, charcoal, ink, or any other medium. As researcher, curator, and art critic Llilian Llanes once said: “It seems like he came into the world with a pencil in his hand.”
(Translation of Juan David Latorre’s article in “The Dimplomat”)
Find more information at https://fabeloart.com/instituto-cervantes-exhibits-roberto-fabelo/
