The figure of Alexis Iglesias embodies—with rare coherence—the convergence of artistic creation, pedagogy, and cultural mediation. Born in Havana in 1968 and based in São Paulo since 1993, his trajectory blends a solid academic background with a deep sensitivity to collective processes and alternative art circuits. His visual work—exhibited in institutions across Cuba, Brazil, and beyond—is inseparable from his commitment to building bridges between geographies, generations, and creative languages.
Within this vision, he founded Escola Havana and Galeria Quarta Parede, two independent yet intertwined initiatives that share a common space while fulfilling distinct roles. The school, established in 2003, offers a methodology that fuses technical training with critical reflection. The gallery, opened in 2010, extends this pedagogical process into the public realm—inviting students to face the real challenges of exhibition while also welcoming established and emerging artists from Brazil and abroad. Together, they form a living ecosystem where learning and cultural exchange are mutually reinforcing.
Now, this ongoing commitment enters a new chapter through the partnership between the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCAA) and the Instituto Cervantes of São Paulo. Iglesias is the driving force behind this transnational dialogue, not only as an artist but as a connector of people and institutions. His involvement is not circumstantial—it stems from a long-standing dedication to fostering encounters across cultures, such as his pivotal role in early-2000s initiatives linking Cuban and Brazilian artists, including the landmark exhibition at the Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales in Havana.
Today, Iglesias prepares for a solo exhibition at MoCAA, scheduled for the end of the year, while also coordinating a group show that will bring Brazilian artists to Florida. With quiet determination, he continues to map new routes for Cuban art abroad—beyond borders, beyond rhetoric, and always grounded in the belief that art can be both a language and a bridge.
Alexis Iglesias does not simply cross the breach—he inhabits it, cultivates it, and invites others to walk it with him.
Alexis Iglesias (b. 1968, Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban artist, educator, and cultural producer based in São Paulo, Brazil, since 1993. He received formal training in the visual arts at the Escuela Elemental de Artes Plásticas (1983) and the prestigious San Alejandro Academy (1987) in Havana. After completing military service in Cuba, he emerged on the island's art scene in the early 1990s with a series of solo and group exhibitions, including his first individual show Estructura de existir at Galería Domingo Ravenet. In 1990, he co-founded Galería Kahlo, an independent art space in Havana. His move to Brazil marked the beginning of a dynamic phase that combined artistic production with curatorial and educational initiatives. Notably, he served as an art director in advertising for nearly a decade before fully dedicating himself to the arts. In 2000, he organized a major exchange between the Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales in Havana and Casa do Olhar in Santo André, Brazil. Iglesias later founded Escola Havana (2003), a pedagogical space rooted in experimental and critical methodologies, and in 2010 established Galeria Quarta Parede, an exhibition venue that promotes contemporary art and cross-cultural dialogue. His solo exhibitions include Las trampas de la fe (2022), Salto (2012), and Metáfora do Eu (2008), among others. Throughout his career, he has participated in dozens of collective shows in Cuba, Brazil, and internationally. Iglesias' work often reflects themes of memory, identity, and artistic resistance, and his practice as a whole embodies a sustained commitment to building bridges between cultures through visual language and community engagement.