Lázaro Armando Saavedra González

Visual artist who has achieved great results in exhibitions held throughout his professional career, having exhibited in different countries, both within Cuba and abroad. National Prize for Visual Arts in 2014

Graduated in 1988 from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). He worked until 1991 as a Painting professor at the Faculty of Artistic Education of the Instituto Superior Pedagógico, Enrique José Varona, ISPEJV. Since 1992 he has worked as a professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana.

He has obtained several scholarships and artistic residencies: Banff Center for the Arts, Alberta, Canada (1996). Ludwig Forum for International Art, Aachen, Germany (1996). 1990´s Art from Cuba: A National Residency and Exhibition Program. Diverse Works Arts Space, Houston, New York, USA (1997). Museum City Fukuoka´98, Fukuoka, Japan (1998). ECAV, Valais, Pro-Helvetia Foundation, Switzerland (1998). Barbican Center, London, United Kingdom, (1999). Iaab of the Christoph Merian Foundation of Basel, Switzerland (2002). Mattress Factory. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. PA. USA (2004). Proyecto Batiscafo, Cuba (2006).

He has held several solo exhibitions from 1988 to the present, among them are: The only animal that laughs. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana (2003). Can't buy, my love. Galería Habana, Havana (2003). Every ending is the beginning of something unknown. Iaab Ateliers. Basel, Switzerland (2002) Dying Free. Diverse Works Artspace, Houston (1987). Estipendiaten. Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany (1996). He has participated in more than 50 group exhibitions in Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, USA, Canada, Spain, France, Republic of Ireland, Germany, United Kingdom, Holland, Switzerland, Malaysia and Japan. Main collections: National Museum of Fine Arts, Cuba. Ludwig Forum, Aachen. Germany. Daros-Latinamerica, Zurich, Switzerland. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Canada.

Studies
1976-1979
Elementary School of Visual Arts "20 de octubre", Havana.
1979-1983
Provincial School of Visual Arts San Alejandro, Havana.
1983-1988
Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana.

Solo Exhibitions
1988
Painting what I think, thinking what I paint. (Graduation thesis). Galería L, Havana. (August)

1989
A retrospective look. Provincial Center of Visual Arts and Design, Havana. (January)

1991
The challenge of my Art. Galería Servando Cabrera, Havana, Galería Servando Cabrera Moreno, Havana. (Open only one day).

1993
The image of thought, the thought of the image. Galería Habana, Havana.

1995
History for historians. (Was part of One of Each Class Project) Galería Luis de Soto, Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana, Havana. (March-April) History for historians I. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Cienfuegos, Cuba. (August)

1996
Get up Chago, don't mess with Lazarus. Espacio Aglutinador, Havana. (February) Estipendiaten. Ludwig Forum fur Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany. (December) Body, soul and thought. Galería S., Aachen, Germany.

1997
Mental massage. Rice University's Media Center, Houston, New York. Dying free, Diverse Works Artspace. Houston, New York. (February-March) Stories for historians II. Galería de Arte Universal, Santiago de Cuba. (September-October)

1998
Stories for historians III. Provincial Art Center, Holguín, Cuba. My dossier, the audacity and representation. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (April-May)

2002
Every ending is the beginning of something unknown. Laab ateliers. Basel. Switzerland.

2016
Base/Superstructure. Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam

Group Exhibitions

1983
II National Salon of Visual Arts. Middle School Level. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana.

1985
March 13 Salon. Galleria L, Havana.

1986
Puré exhibits. Galería L, Havana. (January) March 13 Salon. Galería L, Havana. 10 years of ISA. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana. (May-June) ISA Relief (collateral to the II Havana Biennial) Galería El Pasillo, Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana. (November-December) Tribute I. Instituto Superior de Arte. Havana. Tribute II. Shop window of La moderna poesía Bookstore, Havana. Exhibition collateral to pedagogy '86. ISA, Havana.

1987
The work: Strictly personal. Fototeca de Cuba, Havana. (May) 1987 Print Salon. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana. First meeting of young visual artists. 1st Salon of young Cuban plastic arts. Provincial Museum of Villa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba. (October) I Festival of Creation and Research. Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana. (November) Playa Salon 1987. Galería Servando Cabrera Moreno, Havana. (December) Twenty and some years. Galería Habana, Havana. Fresh air. Galería Plaza Vieja, Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales, Havana. Inaugural exhibition of the House of Culture of Punta Gorda. Moa, Cuba. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 and 12. Casa del Joven Creador, Havana.

1988
It's not just what you see. (Group: Provisional) Galería Luis de Soto, Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana, Havana. (March) It's just what you see. Havana. No matter how early you wake up, dawn doesn't come earlier. Fototeca de Cuba, Havana. (March-April) IV Small Format Salon. Galería L, Havana. (October) Roots in action. New Cuban artists. Museo de Arte Carillo Gil, Mexico City. II Meeting of young visual artists. II Salon of young Cuban plastic arts. Provincial Museum of Villa Clara, Santa Clara, Cuba. International meeting of young socialist visual artists. Leningrad, USSR. VI Landscape Meeting. House of Culture, Baracoa, Guantánamo, Cuba. Contemporary Cuban art. Galería Tetriakov. Moscow, USSR. Soft and fresh. National Museum of Fine Arts. Havana. Exhibition collateral to the ISA Pedagogy meeting, ISA. Havana.

1989
Art-sex? The erotic in art. (Collateral to the III Havana Biennial). Galería Luis de Soto. Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana, Havana (November-December) Kitsch (III Havana Biennial) Centro de Arte Galiano y Concordia. Havana. (November-December) III Havana Biennial. (The tradition of humor). National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana. Art and humor. Galería de Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba. The landscape (collateral to the III Havana Biennial) State Finance Committee, Havana.

1990
Cuba OK. Contemporary art of Cuba. Städtische Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany. (April-May) The sculpted object. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (May-July) The nearest edge of the world: Art and Cuba Now. Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts (November)/ (1991) Bronx Museum of Art, New York. UNEAC 90 Salon of Visual Arts. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana. 1st National Salon of Humor and Satire. Museum of Humor, San Antonio de los Baños, Havana. Without a word. Galería Guerrero, Havana.

1991
The sons of William Tell. Museum of Visual Arts Alejandro Otero, Caracas, Venezuela/Luis Ángel Arango Library, Banco de la República, Bogotá, Colombia. (January-April) New contemporary acquisitions: Samples of Cuban art. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana. (March) Certain stories of humor. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (June-July) Ostkunst-Westkunst. Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany. Humor in contemporary visual arts. (Collateral to the VII Humor Biennial) Museum of Humor, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba.

1992
Von Dort aus: Kuba. Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany. The prodigious decade. Cuban visual arts of the 80s. Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City. The unknown face of Cuban Art. Northern Center for Contemporary Art, Sunderland, United Kingdom.

1993
Buy me and hang me. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. Drawing, I don't forget you. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. Myths of Cuban art. Center for Development of Visual Arts. Havana.

1994
Utopia. Galleria Espada, Casa del Joven Creador, Havana. Cuban art today/Art cubain Actuel. Galerie de L' UQAM, Université de Québec á Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada.

1995
One of each class. Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, Center for Conservation, Restoration and Museology, Havana. (March) Vestiges. Ego: a possible portrait. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (May) Illumination. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (May)

1996
Dreamed world. Young Cuban visual arts. Casa de América, Madrid. The other writ(ings). Provincial Center of Visual Arts and Design, Havana. (February) The flesh. Tattoos. Espacio Aglutinador, Havana. (July) Almendares River. Neither strawberry nor chocolate. Metropolitan Park Project; Center for Conservation, Restoration and Museology, Havana. Altered States. Rituals of Interchanges. Walter Philips Gallery, Banff Center for the Arts, Alberta, Canada. (July-August) De Huid van De Witte Dame. Artic Foundation, Eindhoven, Holland. From the place where we were born. Pavilion of the Arts, Tecali de Herrera, Puebla, Mexico. The heroes of Cuban visual arts. Sala San Antonio Abad, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

1997
The concealment of souls. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. 1990´s Art from Cuba: A National Exhibition and Residency Program. Hallwalls Contemporary Arts center, Buffalo/ Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois, USA. (February-March) Inner spaces. Sixth Havana Biennial. Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña, Havana. (November) Virtual Realities. Sixth Havana Biennial, Cuba Pavilion, Havana. Views on Che. Ganbara Hall of Donostia, Basque Country/ Hika Ateneo, Bilbao, Spain. (October-November)

1998
The direction of the gaze. Stadthaus, Zurich/Museo des Meaux Arts, La Chaux de Fonds. Prohelvetia Foundation. Switzerland. The image and the labyrinth. Contemporary Cuban art. Casa de las Artes, Vigo/ Memorealism Museum City Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan. The Stella Fine Art and Photography Show. Gramercy Park Armory, New York. The Art International/ New York Fair. Jacob Javits Center, New York. From one island to another island. Fototeca de Cuba, Havana. I Festival of Performance Ana Mendieta. "Health Money and Love", UNEAC, Havana.

1999
The multiple trace 1999. Center for Development of Visual Arts/ Center for Conservation, Restoration and Museology, Havana. Mind the gap. APT Studios, Deptford, London. (May) Working for the English. Concourse Gallery, Barbican Center, London. (May) I saw you first! Sala Rubén Martínez Villena, UNEAC, Havana. (July) Keloids. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (September) Dance my son. Fifteen of us for fifteen artists. Galería La Acacia, Havana.

2000
Winter Salon. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. The conjunction of nothingness. Cuban art in the new millennium. Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana. (January) Havana Nagila. Cuba-Israel: Dialogue. Chelouche Gallery, Noga Gallery, Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv Artists' Studios, Tel Aviv, Israel. (September 8) From the negative. An exhibition of contemporary Cuban photography. PARTs Photographic Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Neither right nor left. Santa Clara, Cuba.

2001
Hello Cuba. Breaking Barriers. Contemporary Cuban Art. The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, Florida, USA. (September-January) Toronto 2001 International Fair. Toronto.

2002
Overtures-über Wasser. Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Atravesados. Fundación telefónica, Madrid. Global Imprint: Prints from New Jersey to South Africa and Points Between. Mason Gross School of Arts Galleries. New Jersey.

2004
New route of Cuban art, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Just on Time, Galería Habana. New Installations, Artists in Residency: Cuba, Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, USA. Contact and meditations

2005
Cuban Prints Contemporary Visual Narratives, Sidney Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College, New York. Heteronyms, Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Madrid. Contacts and meditations. Poetics of the digital in Cuban art, Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

2006
Art from Cuba, Museo Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. Projeto Batiscafo. In any night of terror one commits a crime, ICAIC, Havana.

2007
Exhumations with Jose A Toirac. Salle Zero, Alianza Francesa de Cuba. Turbulence, III Auckland Triennial, New Zealand. Multiplied Spaces, Center for Development of Visual Arts, Havana.

2008
Visionaries: Audiovisual in Latin America, Nucleo Cultural organization, Brazil.

2009
Cuba, art and history from 1968 to the present, Museum of Groningen, Holland and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

50 years of a solidarity revolution. Experimental video and video art, artists from Cuba, Museo de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.

2014
The utility of history, Factoría Habana, Havana.

On this side of paradise, José Martí National Library of Cuba.

2015
Ajaccio at the time of Cuba. Palacio Fesch, Museum of Fine Arts of the Villa of Ajaccio, France

Foucault's pendulum, collateral to the Twelfth Havana Biennial.

Fish Peo, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, Twelfth Havana Biennial.

Strictly personal, Embassy of Spain, collateral to the Twelfth Havana Biennial.

Pulse, Galería L, Faculty of Economics, University of Havana, collateral to the Twelfth Havana Biennial.

Awards and Mentions
First place in the Martiano Seminar with the exhibition Tribute, ISA; Havana 1986.
Mention from the Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales in the Print Salon '87; Havana 1987.
Grand Prize of the I Festival of Creation and Research; ISA; Havana 1987.
Prize from the Section of Visual Arts of the Ministry of Culture in the I Festival of creation and research, ISA, Havana 1987.
Abril Prize; Havana 1993.
Distinction for National Culture; Havana 1999.
Pedagogical Merit Diploma from the Ministry of Culture 2000.
Diploma of Honor granted by ISA for the practice of teaching of indelible aesthetic and artistic impact. 2007.
Curation Award for the solo exhibition Expo without concept. National Prize for Visual Arts 2014[1]
National Curation Prize 2016 for the solo exhibition Base Superstructure[2]

Other Activities
Member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. Professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana. Participation in the Pilón project, October 1988-May 1989. Institutions and collaborations for the magazines Albur and Credo of ISA, Artecubano, and other publications.

Collections
National Museum of Fine Arts, Cuba. Ludwig Forum, Germany. Daros, Switzerland.