Orlando Basulto Abreu

Orlando Basulto is a contemporary Cuban artist, based in Canada. Professional artist in visual arts, painter, sculptor and ceramicist.

Orlando developed an interest in the plastic arts from an early age and began at the cultural center of his town at the age of 7 years, becoming part of an amateur group. His participation in this group began in 1975 until 1984, the year he began his training as a specialist in plastic arts and obtained his first diploma in 1986.

In that same year he began working as a specialist of the artistic expression at the cultural center of his town while continuing his studies at the professional art school, obtaining his second diploma, the title of Professor in plastic arts in 1991.

After his graduation that same year, he found a position as a professor of his artistic expression at the cultural center in the province of Camagüey Cuba where his contribution as a professor lasted 15 years.

Starting in 2001 Orlando began as a professional artist and left the cultural center in order to dedicate himself entirely to his art and artistic production.

Currently Orlando continues his creations in Quebec, Canada.

He considers the human body to be the ideal subject due to its perfect proportions, rich details and expressive features.

Basulto explores themes of life and death, memory and dreams, love, sensuality, sexuality and longing while revealing human behavior along with its impulses and emotions. His pictorial and sculptural discourse is characterized by the exoticism and figurative surrealism of his characters, creating a strong connection between his inner world and the universe that surrounds him.

His works vary in size, he uses natural pigments that he creates; integrating into them other elements such as concrete, wood and recycled metal objects.

He is the first Cuban to be a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (AIC) of Geneva, Switzerland.

Eleven solo exhibitions and approximately sixty collective exhibitions in galleries, art fairs and museums complete his career. During the last 20 years he has participated in more than 50 collective exhibitions throughout Cuba, El Salvador and Canada, in galleries, art fairs and museums.

His works are found in private collections in Miami, Philadelphia, Italy, Spain, France, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Canada and Cuba.

Orlando Basulto received numerous honors and awards, including the Excellence Award Salon d'Automne from the Museum of Fine Arts of Mont-St-Hilaire in Canada.

He also received artistic merit awarded by the pinacothèque du musée de Luxemburgo and the excellence award from the Musée des beaux-arts de Mont-ST-Hilaire Quebec, Canada.