Poster by Cuban designer Claudio Sotolongo receives award in Germany

July 8, 2023

A poster by Cuban designer Claudio Sotolongo was selected among 537 works from 39 countries for the seventh edition of the Anfachen Awards, according to the competition's website.

Anfachen Awards is an important design competition held in the German city of Hamburg with the theme of energy.

"From Anfachen Awards in Hamburg to Havana," said the designer on his official Instagram account.

Choose green, choose sustainable, is the title of the Cuban poster that will be exhibited along with 24 other works starting June 28 in public squares and heavily trafficked streets in Hamburg, showcasing international interpretations of the energy theme.

"The political poster competition, which has already become an institution in Hamburg, offers versatile and diverse perspectives on the theme of energy, which is currently shaping political discourse like no other," argues the event's website.

The jury for the seventh edition of Anfachen Awards was led by German editor Klaus Staeck, known for his work in political graphic design. Also serving on the jury were Larissa Bertonasco (Germany), Erick Ginard (Mexico), Haika Hinze (Germany), Zhiyi Liu (Germany), 2xGoldstein (Germany), and Arseniy Zhukavin (Russia).

"The fact that activism always finds its visual equivalent in the poster can be seen again this year in the submissions for the Anfachen Prize. The selection of the 25 posters impressively shows what designers from around the world have to say about the theme of energy. Thanks to the nuanced composition of the jury (illustrator, art director, painter, and designer), the exciting selection process proceeded smoothly," argue the organizers.

According to the official encyclopedia Ecured, Claudio Sotolongo was born in Havana in 1982 and graduated from the Higher Institute of Design (ISDI) in 2006. He holds a Master's degree in Design Management and Innovation. He was a professor of Design History at ISDI and at the University of Havana.

In 2007 he was co-writer of the documentary Insular Graphic Poetry. Between 2005 and 2007 he carried out various design projects for the office of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. In 2018 he participated in several collective exhibitions in museums and cultural centers in Spain, the United States, and Cuba. As a curator on Cuban film posters, he has organized or collaborated on exhibitions in Havana, Los Angeles, London, and Basel.

In 2011 he was co-author of the books I Am Cuba: Cuban Film Poster from after the Revolution (Trilce Ediciones) and Citizen Poster (Ediciones ICAIC). Between 2018 and 2020 he has exhibited at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.; the Matadero Cultural Center, Madrid; California Art Museum, Pasadena; Fowler Museum, UCLA; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; and in Havana at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Factoría Habana, Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Ludwig Foundation, Studio 50, and Gallery 23 and 12.