The Big Fish

 Posted by on January 26, 2019
Jan 262019
 

The Fish of Belfast
The Big Fish also called The Salmon of Knowledge is a printed ceramic mosaic sculpture by John Kindness. The 33-foot long statue was constructed in 1999 and installed on Donegall Quay in Belfast, near the Lagan Lookout and Custom House.

The Big Fish’s image regularly appears on tourism material related to Belfast and Northern Ireland.

The Big Fish of Belfast *The Big Fish = Belfast *The Big Fish of BelfastThe outer skin of the fish consists of ceramic tiles decorated with texts and images relating to the history of Belfast. According to the Belfast City Council, each scale “tells a story about the city”. Material from Tudor times to present day newspaper headlines are included along with contributions from Belfast school children (including a soldier and an Ulster Fry). The Ulster Museum provided the primary source of historic images, while local schools/day centers located along the line of the River Farset were approached to provide drawings for the fish.

The Big Fish of BelfastThe Big Fish contains a time capsule storing information, images, and poetry on the City.

John Kindness (born Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1951) is an Irish artist working a range of media including sculpture and painting.  He attended the Belfast College of Art and now lives and works in London.

Spirit of Belfast

 Posted by on January 26, 2019
Jan 262019
 
Spirit of Belfast

Cornmarket Arthur Square The Spirit of Belfast was unveiled in September 2009, this large-scale steel structure sits in the Cornmarket, where a bandstand once stood. The four interlocking rings sit in the heart of the city center’s pedestrianized shopping area and are said to have been designed to reflect Belfast’s shipbuilding and linen industries. Created by Dan George, it has been given the name Onion Rings, by the ever humerous Irish citizens. Dan George was born in Lake George, New York and studied at the Arts Students League of New York and the Koning Academie in Antwerp. He says of this Continue Reading

Madhubani Paintings of Patna

 Posted by on December 21, 2018
Dec 212018
 
Madhubani Paintings of Patna

These Madhubani paintings are going up all over Patna, Bihar. The project is aimed at beautifying the walls in the hopes that people don’t spit or urinate out in the open, on the walls. “Vulnerable points have been selected for the painting. However, work will continue on most of the walls. ” according to Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) deputy commissioner Vishal Anand. Before I left the United States, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco had an exhibit on Madhubani paintings.  It was fun to discover these all over the town of Patna. Madhubani paintings originated in the Mithila region of Continue Reading

The Joker’s Chair

 Posted by on October 15, 2018
Oct 152018
 
The Joker's Chair

Joker’s Chair – Dermot Morgan Memorial (2002) By Catherine Greene The Joker’s Chair was erected in the memory of the Irish writer, actor, satirist and comic Dermot Morgan (1952-1998), The inscription which accompanies this piece reads; ….and all the rest is laughter liberating laughter to be remembered Catherine Greene was born in Galway and studied at the National College of Art and Design from 1979-85.  Greene was approached by Dermot Morgan’s partner to create the memorial which was funded by RTÉ (Ireland’s National Television) and supported by Dublin City Council. A condition of the commission was that it should be Continue Reading

Éire by Jerome Connor

 Posted by on October 2, 2018
Oct 022018
 
Éire by Jerome Connor

Merrion Square Dublin, Ireland Éire by Jerome Connor  Jerome Connor (February 1874 – August 1943) was born in Coumduff, Annascaul, Ireland. He was the sixth and youngest son of Patrick and Margaret Connor. The family moved to Holyoake, Massachusetts in the 1890s. Jerome ran away from home and settled in New York. After trying many trades (foundry-man, professional prize fighter, machinist, sign painter, Japanese intelligence officer in Mexico, and stonecutter) he became a sculptor. His most notable sculptures are in Washington D.C.: statues of Robert Emmett (a cast of which is in Dublin) and Bishop John Carroll, and the Nuns of Continue Reading

88 Slag Buddhas

 Posted by on January 19, 2018
Jan 192018
 
88 Slag Buddhas

The 88 Buddha statuettes are a reference to the 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. They are made of slag that was illegally dumped on neighborhing Teshima Island, which is also part of their story. From 1978 to 1990,  Teshima Island was used as a dump site for paper making residue, sadly they were actually dumping highly toxic waste as well. Due to a corrupt prefecture government and the fact that the island was remote and sparsely populated, it took until the year 2000 for the people of the island to receive a resolution. The Prefecture of Kagawa admitted that Continue Reading

Pumpkins on Naoshima

 Posted by on January 19, 2018
Jan 192018
 
Pumpkins on Naoshima

  This pumpkin sits on a pier on the island of Naoshima.  The first art project for the Benesse art site was Open Air ’94 Out of Bounds, organized as an outdoor exhibition space in 1994. Out of Bounds referred to the crossing of borders in hope that Naoshima be linked to the rest of the world.  Pumpkin (the yellow one) by Yayoi Kusama made its debut in this exhibition. Yayoi Kusama (1929-) is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation but is also active in painting, performance, film, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. During the Continue Reading

Clara Porset

 Posted by on July 7, 2016
Jul 072016
 
Clara Porset

Nespresso is running an ad for Cuban Coffee. On Sunday June 26, 2016, they took out a full page ad using Hemingway’s home in Havana as the perfect backdrop. There in the photo were two exquisite Clara Porset chairs. I thought it time to talk about her. Clara María del Carmen Magdalena Porset y Dumás was born in Matanzas, Cuba on May 25, 1895. Born into wealth she had the luxury to be educated in New York at Columbia University’s School of Fine Arts, as well as in Paris, where she attended classes at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, the Continue Reading

Casa de Velazquez

 Posted by on July 7, 2016
Jul 072016
 
Casa de Velazquez

Parque Cespedes Santiago de Cuba Diego Valazquez was the first governor of Cuba.  He was a cruel despot by all accounts, but his home, built in 1515 still stands as the oldest colonial-era house on the island. The home is of the Mudéjar style (or Hispanic-Moorish).  This style is characterized by its balconies, carved ceilings and the intricate geometric patterns found in the tile, metalwork and even the furniture. The one outstanding characteristic of the Velazquez house are its celosos.  They greet you at the front door, covering the second floor balcony, and then are found throughout the house screening Continue Reading

Parque del Ajedrez or Chess Park

 Posted by on July 6, 2016
Jul 062016
 
Parque del Ajedrez or Chess Park

Santo Tomás and Enramada Streets Santiago de Cuba This small corner park was designed by American architect Walter Betancourt. Betancourt was born in 1932 in New York, son of Cuban parents that had escaped to Florida during the Cuban War for Independence. As a child of Cubans, Betancourt vacationed often in Cuba. After graduating with a degree in Architecture in 1956 from the University of Virginia, Betancourt entered the US Navy where he served, coincidentally enough, at Guantanamo.  Significantly, Betancourt was in Cuba during the July 26th coup attempt on the Moncada Barracks by Fidel Castro. After leaving the military Betancourt moved Continue Reading

The Knot

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
The Knot

Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013, this sculpture is a result of the second Symposium.  

Clouds in the Mountains

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Clouds in the Mountains

Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013. This sculpture is a result of the first symposium. The same year Negrin also had the entry Lluvia en la Cordillera  (Rain in Mountains) Continue Reading

Rain in the Mountains

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Rain in the Mountains

Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013.  This sculpture is a result of the first symposium. Rene Negrin was born September 28, 1949.  He is a consulting Professor of Artes Plasticas Continue Reading

S. T. by Mario Trenard

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
S. T. by Mario Trenard

In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013. This sculpture is a product of the second Symposium Mario Trenard graduated as a sculptor from the Higher Art Institute (ISA, in Spanish). He is a member Continue Reading

Jose Maria Heredia – One of Cuba’s Great Poets

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Jose Maria Heredia - One of Cuba's Great Poets

Traffic Circle at Avenue Manduley and Calle 11 Santiago de Cuba According to Cuba Facts Jose Marie Heredia y Heredia  was born in Santiago de Cuba on December 31 1803, and lived a short thirty-five years, spending most of his adult life in exile. In 1818 he enrolled in the University of Havana as a law student, and it was about this time that he met Isabel Rueda, to whom he wrote and dedicated erotic poetry. His first dramatic effort (the play Eduardo IV o el usurpador clemente) was produced by a theatre group in Matanzas. On October 31 1820, his Continue Reading

Jose Marti by Alberto Lescay

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Jose Marti by Alberto Lescay

Santiago de Cuba José Julián Martí Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) is a Cuban national hero.  Martí is considered one of the great turn-of-the-century Latin American intellectuals. His written works consist of a series of poems, essays, letters, lectures, a novel, and even a children’s magazine. He wrote for numerous Latin American and American newspapers; he also founded a number of newspapers himself. His newspaper Patria was a key instrument in his campaign for Cuban independence. After his death, one of his poems from the book, “Versos Sencillos” (Simple Verses) was adapted to the song “Guantanamera”, which Continue Reading

Hatuey

 Posted by on November 30, 2015
Nov 302015
 
Hatuey

Baracoa, Cuba Hatuey is one of the most important people in Cuban history, originally from Hispaniola, he fled with many other natives to warn the people of Caobana of the treachery of the oncoming onslaught of the Spanish. Sadly the Caobanans did not believe him and few joined him in his fight against the Spanish. He was captured in February of 1512 and burned alive at the stake. The story that every Cuban child learns is that before Hatuey was burned, a priest asked him if he would accept Jesus and go to heaven. Spanish historian Bartolomé Las Casas wrote Continue Reading

Rosa La Bayamesa

 Posted by on November 23, 2015
Nov 232015
 
Rosa La Bayamesa

Holquín, Cuba This statue is of Rosa Maria Castellanos,(1834-1907) created by Santiago de Cuba sculptor Antonio Lescay. Rosa La Bayamesa was a 36 year old daughter of slaves, a nurse and organizer of field hospitals during the Ten Years’ War, which was the beginning of the attempt for Cuba to escape Spanish rule. Bayamesa refers to the Cuban town Bayamo, the insurgent stronghold during the 10 Years War. Alberto Lescay Merencio graduated with a degree in Painting in 1968 from the “José Joaquín Tejada” Fine Arts Workshop; In 1973 he added a degree in Sculpture from the “Cubanacán” National Art School. He became Continue Reading

El Pelu

 Posted by on November 11, 2015
Nov 112015
 
El Pelu

Baracoa, Cuba This is El Pelú sculpted by Ramon Dominque Gainza. El Pelú was a native of Coruña, Spain named Francisco Rodríguez. There is very little known about him other than at some point in his life he ended up in Baracoa, Cuba.  He apparently wandered the streets preaching until sometime around 1896 when his sermons became offensive and the town council expelled him. Legend has it that while standing on the wharf, waiting for the boat that would send him into exile, he said “In Baracoa many good plans will be made, many good ideas will be generated, but all of Continue Reading

Monumento al Cimmarón

 Posted by on July 31, 2015
Jul 312015
 
Monumento al Cimmarón

The Monumento al Cimarrón, by Alberto Lescay, or Monument to the Runaway Slave is in the Cuban town of El Cobre.  El Cobre is home to the cathedral that houses Cuba’s patron Saint the Virgin on Caridad. Lescay has said “I feel the spirit of that work in others and I think I’ve found a road, because it is a very open proposal, not at all schematic or dogmatic and those are very universal codes that are expressed in it.” Lescay goes on to say that being a cimmarón is an attitude toward life, and will continue to exist as Continue Reading

Iris Jazz Club

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Iris Jazz Club

Music: breathing of statues. Perhaps Silence of paintings. You language where all language ends. You time standing vertically On the motion of mortal hearts. by poet Rainer Maria Rilke  IRIS Jazz Club is a cultural complex located in front of  in the city of Santiago de Cuba. The space, originally a cafeteria, was turned into a jazz club with the specific purpose of promoting jazz in the area. Santiago de Cuba is celebrating their 500th year in 2015. These bronze panels were the work of Santiago born artist Alberto Lescay’s Caguayo foundation to mark this celebration. The program costs 125,400 Continue Reading

Germinal*

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Germinal*

Eulises Niebla born in 1963 in Matanzas Cuba, studied at the  Escuela Provincial de arte in Matanzas, Cuba from 1975-1979, He then went on to the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) Havana from 1980-1984 and then to the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). in Havana from 1984-1989 A contemporary Cuban artist Niebla works with industrial materials to create geometric three-dimensional objects, which are then painted in bright colours. These objects have been likened to the forms in children’s playgrounds and belong to an established constructivist tradition in Latin America that pushes the boundaries of the art object and encourages the spectator to participate in Continue Reading

Outer Harmony

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Outer Harmony

  In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. Armonía Exterior was a result of the 2013 Symposium, the pieces that came out of the project were put around Santiago de Cuba. Ramon Casas graduated from the National School of Arts (ENA) in Havana in 1976, he then went on to study at the Higher Arts Institute (ISA) in Havana, Cuba and graduated in Continue Reading

Arco

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Arco

In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. Arco was a result of the 2013 Symposium, the pieces that came out of the project are put around Santiago de Cuba. Jose Villa has two pieces in Havana that have been in this website before and that you can read about here. Santiago de Cuba native José Ramón Villa Soberón ( September 2, 1950) is Continue Reading

Nature

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Nature

This piece, titled Nature, is by Juan Quintanilla. In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals.  Nature was a result of the Symposium, the pieces that came out of the project were put around Santiago de Cuba. Juan Quintanilla studied at the School of Visual Arts in Pinar del Rio in 1965.  He went on to get a graduate degree in Sculpture from Continue Reading

Antonio Maceo

 Posted by on April 21, 2015
Apr 212015
 
Antonio Maceo

This piece, titled Antonio Maceo sits in Revolution Square in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.  Created by Alberto Lescay, a Santiago born artist, it was installed in 1991.  This monument is dedicated to the 19th century war hero, General Antonio Maceo. Saw-toothed “machetes” rise from the grass and surround a large sculpture of the General on horseback.   graduated with a degree in Painting  in 1968 from the  “José Joaquín Tejada” Fine Arts Workshop; In 1973 he added a degree in Sculpture from the “Cubanacán” National Art School.  He became an Art Professor in 1979 at “Repin” Academy of Sculpture, Architecture, Painting and Continue Reading

Os Redeiros

 Posted by on March 20, 2015
Mar 202015
 
Os Redeiros

This striking and strong sculpture is by Ramon Conde and stands on the Gran Via  in Vigo Spain. Titled Os Redeiros it is of seven nude fisherman straining to pull in a net.  The city of Vigo is a major fishing port in Spain. Ramón Conde was born in Ourense Spain December 18, 1951, the son of a stone sculptor. In 1971 he joined the Faculty of Arts in Santiago. He has shown all over Europe and in the United States. Other public works include the Arc de Triomphe (Lugo), the monument to Alonso III de Fonseca (in the Cloister Continue Reading

Camilo Cienfuegos

 Posted by on January 29, 2015
Jan 292015
 
Camilo Cienfuegos

Revolution Plaza Havana, Cuba On the Ministry of Ministry of Communications building is another line sculpture by Enrique Avila Gonzales.  This one is of a lesser known revolutionary hero, Camilo Cienfuegos, shown here with his signature cowboy hat. The sculpture was erected in 2009. The words “Vas bien, Fidel” (You’re doing fine, Fidel) on the bottom right, refers to a reply given to Fidel at a January 8, 1959 victory rally. How am I doing? asked Castro You’re doing fine said Cienfuegos. Camilo Cienfuegos disappeared while he was traveling in a small plane from Camagüey province that same year.

Che Guevara, Korda and Gonzales

 Posted by on January 28, 2015
Jan 282015
 
Che Guevara, Korda and Gonzales

Plaza de Revolucion Havana, Cuba Plaza de la Revolución  “Revolution Square” is one of the 13 largest outdoor plazas in the world. The square is notable as being where many political rallies take place and Fidel Castro and other political figures address Cubans. Fidel Castro has addressed more than a million Cubans on many occasions, such as 1 May and 26 July each year. This sculpture of Che Guevara is a single line replica of the famous Alberto Korda photograph of Che.  The sculptor on this was Cuban artist Enrique Avila Gonzales.  The words “Hasta la Victoria Sempre” (Onward forever to victory) Continue Reading

El Caballero de Paris

 Posted by on January 22, 2015
Jan 222015
 
El Caballero de Paris

  This is one of my favorite public sculptures in Havana, and as you can see how the patina has been worn off, I am not the only one that has a fondness for this character. El Caballero de París was  José Maria López Lledín (1920s-1977), was a well-known street person in Havana, Cuba in the 1950s. Lledín lost his mind and became “El Caballero de París” when he was arrested in late 1920 and sent to the prison at “El Castillo del Príncipe” in Havana, Cuba. The reasons are unknown but he always claimed in all interviews his innocence. He Continue Reading

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