Shadows at the crossroads

2016 was an historic year for Cuba. In March, Barack Obama and The Rolling Stones visited the island, apparently bringing with them the winds of political and cultural change. However, eight months later Fidel Castro’s death sent millions of people to the streets to mourn his irreparable loss. The past is like a shadow that never leaves us. The work I am sending for the Portrait Awards 2017 is precisely about the contradictions of a society that looks hopefully into the future but always under the overwhelming shade cast by History. In putting this work together, I was interested in mixing the portraits of old, young and middle aged people to help the viewer understand the way those people felt at a time of unforseeable change. After all, generations react differently to the same events. I also decided to mix the events of March and November to add to the feeling of uncertainty. My main aim is to imply how History always catches us off guard, like a shadow at a crossroads.