Guillermo Estrada Viera

Born December 9, 1963, Guillermo Estrada Viera is a sculptor, painter and printmaker.  He has very little formal training and considers himself mostly a self-taught artist. He is known for his critical and introspective work. 

In 2010, Galeria Cubana first began showing his work using "libretas de abastecimiento" (ration card booklets).  Estrada Viera produces this mixed media work by collecting ration card booklets from Cuban families and friends that track their government foodstuffs.  He uses these booklets as the foundation upon which he produced his woodcut prints created from his carvings into blocks of wood. After the printing process is complete, the final effect is achieved by holding each piece above lit candles, slightly burning the paper and occassionally dripping wax. 

Estrada Viera has seamlessly married his materials , talents and ideas, producing a series that reflects the resourcefulness of most Cubans and shortages of food and other goods on the island.

In 2018 and 2019, Galeria Cubana exhibited Estrada Viera's oil paintings in an exhibtion entitled Donde encuentro acomodo (Where do I find comfort). His paintings addressed the struggle for belonging faced by many universally, yet in varying ways. The emotional turmoil of finding one’s place in the world is expressed in depictions of contorted bodies in tight spaces, at times attempting to emerge.

In his most recent works exhibited in 2020, he continues his focus on the everyday struggle, but with a playful sense of humor using a pastel colored palette. His shift is no doubt inspired by his studio mate, Sandra Dooley.