Salvador González, muralist of the Callejón de Hamel, dies in La Habana

April 17, 2021

The Cayo Hueso neighborhood in Havana is in mourning as Salvador González Escalona, a prominent visual artist turned cultural promoter and manager of the Callejón de Hamel Community Sociocultural Project, located in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood, Centro Habana municipality of the Capital, has passed away.

Born in Camagüey and adopted son of Havana, Salvador found in the capital neighborhood of Cayo Hueso a space for creation and there he devoted part of his life to the development of community culture and the promotion of traditional popular culture.

His self-taught training did not prevent him from embracing art as part of his life, and in the visual arts he channeled his artistic concerns, reflecting in his work the influence of the greatest exponents of Mexican muralism Diego Rivera and Orozco, combined with his appreciation of the rich African heritage rooted in Cuban culture.

His name acquired certain relevance among the new values of Cuban art precisely because of his work as a muralist, and this is evident in the Callejón de Hamel, that space which for him was like a great gallery, a vital space for the creation and preservation of Afro-Cuban traditions.

An unwavering defender of the essences of national identity, Salvador leaves us an eternal mark, the fruit of his deep vocation of service.