AN ONLINE PLATFORM REPRESENTING MORE THAN 100 CUBAN ARTISTS 

To be precise, we are talking about 112 artists of Cuban origin residing in various countries, including the Caribbean island itself, whose work can be enjoyed and purchased printed on different goods (merchandise) such as t-shirts, stickers, caps, water bottles, mugs, bags fabric, and prints on canvas, metal, photographic paper, posters, etc.

The enterprise is Backroomart, an e-commerce project founded by the curator and art critic Elvia Rosa Castro that brings together artists from different generations, genres, and aesthetics, joined by the universal language of Art. It is an entrepreneurship project that seeks to promote the work of artists through very high-quality prints. Backroomart is hosted by the mega e-commerce platform Redbubble.

Through Backroomart, a considerable number of artists disassembled throughout the diaspora and from the provinces of Cuba have achieved visibility and systematic promotion, not only of their works featured in the project but also of their artistic careers.  Through fan Backroomart pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, updates on their exhibits are published.

Backroomart has been an initiative that has brought the diverse and the scarcely promoted to a commonplace. “Regarding the exhibition Ya sé leer. Image and text in Latin American Art, someone once asked me how I managed to bring together heavyweight artists like Raúl Martínez, for example, with Danay Vigoa, who at that time was a student at the Higher Institute of Art”, comments Elvia Rosa.

In this project, you will find either print by Rocío García, Sandy Ceballos, Sandra Ramos, Luis Gómez, or Aimée García, as well as by Magic Boom Art, a very young artist based in Nuevitas who creates his digital works from a wheelchair, or by Anderson Eliot, a young Deaf artist residing in the central city of Santa Clara, who was able to graduate from the local Art Academy thanks to his will and talent, with the support of his mother, Professor Antonio Gómez, and the school administration that hired a sign language specialist to ensure communication and understanding in class.

“First of all, my deep respect for artistic creation, whoever it comes from: I’m a 100% purist. Then you have my complete indifference for hierarchies (that has opened my mind, accepting aesthetic discourses marginalized by the cannon)h. On top of that, I suffer from an unhealthy vocation of introducing and presenting those little-known artists with worthy work. Of course, I would wish to have them all. They are all invited btw. Just write to me, and we are all set”.

The idea of collaboration and sharing is something inseparable from my work. So this would be a vital notion in this project: partnership and community among the artists, between the artists and BackroomArt, and between everyone and the public.

At Backroomart, English is used for SEO and promotion. That helps in diversifying the audience. “And it has been quite a cultural challenge because it implies immersing yourself in a culture that we believed to be close mainly due to movies and series but which has its own and very different humor, its winks, its references, and a long etcetera. On some occasions, the posts come out ridiculous. It’s an absolute and endless learning process. Cleanliness and unprejudiced.

“Also, the categories handled in electronic commerce are very different from those of the art world. The aura blurs (something that I find very interesting, even in my own case). For example, the intertext, pastiche, and other linguistic resources from the Art disappear here. In e-commerce, we must be careful with copyright. In fact, for this reason, several designs have already been canceled, the most recent being the Piano created by Omar Batista made out of crayons. Well, the Crayola brand notified Redbubble, and without prior notice, they shut down the design. It’s another world with other rules.”

“In terms of the customer, it is also attractive because you can get something meaningful, and unique with an artsy aesthetic. Either wear or decorate your home or office for a very fair price. This, without mentioning the educative value of the project, which initiates all followers and potential ones in extra cultural knowledge”.

“It is also important to know that, by acquiring these goods, we are directly supporting the artist.”

A considerable percentage of these sales are donated to this blog, Señor Corchea, so it can continue its path. This project emancipates our perception of reality through very utilitarian products. Probably we’ve all bought something in a museum store. This is the same. And if it turns out to be a successful project from a financial point of view, it can help several families during these difficult times.

Artists List (to whom I´m deeply grateful):

Aimée García-Carlos Montes de Oca- Cuty- Rocío García- José Hidalgo-Michel Blazquez-Olivia-Álvaro Brunet-Duhamel Xolot-Chuli Herrera-Yornel Martínez-Ernesto Javier Fdez-Ricardo Quizá Jr-Luis Alejandro Julien-Adrián Socorro-Brady Izquierdo-Olimpya Ortiz-Adrián Gómez Sancho-Alejandro Cañer-Yuri Obregón-Luis Alonso-Héctor Martínez-Claudio Sotolongo-Antonio Espinosa-Antonio Gómez Santiago-Evelyn Aguilar-Ronald Vill-Miriannys Montes de Oca-Dorian Agüero-Rolando Paciel-Cesar Castillo-Julio Lorente-Lauren Mederos-Rubier Bernabeu-Luis E Supervielle-Adonis Muiño-Isbel Glez-Denise Castro-Rachel Gutiérrez-Aimée Joaristi-Osy Milian-Juansi Glez-Víctor Alexis Puig-Leonardo Eymil-Regis Soler-Reynerio Tamayo-Arassay Hilario-Adonis Flores-Daniel Acebo-Elena Cristina Cancio-Julio Llópiz-Jorge Rodríguez R10-Rigoberto Mena-Guillermo Portieles- Rocío Morejon-Remy Hernández-Frank David Valdez-Detrás del Muro-Nadal Antelmo-Leonardo Luis Roque- Ailen Maleta- Luis Gómez-Antonio Gómez Margolles-Heyder Luis Reyes-Ricardo Quiza Jr.-Damián Pozo-Alejandro Albelay-Lissette Matalón-Luis Luisovich Jañez (FECA)-Roberto Ruiz-Dagny Rodríguez-Magic Boom Art-Dailis Yzarra-Leonardo Sacristá-Omar Batista-Enrique Lisdan-Lilien Trujillo-Edward Blazquez-Camilo Díaz de Vilalvilla-Julio César Cepeda-Anderson Eliot- Dayanis Muñóz-Yasiel Elizagaray-Darián Vidarte-Yasmay Vázquez-Jassiel Palenzuela-Luis Reinier Enrique-Reynier Borrell- Sandra Ceballos-Kiki Borrell-Adriel Pérez-Rolo Fernández-Alen Lauzan-Daniel Díaz-Arnaldo Batista-Eduardo Sarmiento-Yovanis Gonzalez-Giobedys Ocaña-Omar Valdéz-Raúl Rodríguez-Gustavo Pérez-Ruslan Gonzalez Korets- Alain de la Cruz-Linda Howe-Evelyn Sosa-Ciro Quintana-Jenny Sánchez-Ricardo Miguel Hernández-Víctor Manuel Maden Morgan-Alain Martínez-Abelardo Mena- Sandra Ramos

Cover design: Héctor S. Martínez

FAQ:

Can I purchase from any country? Where can I have my order delivered to? Orders from independent artists on the Redbubble marketplace can be shipped worldwide because they are fulfilled by a global network of 3rd-party printers. Once you place an order, each item is sent to the independent printer closest to you.

Are there any restrictions?  Due to the locations of the printers and international shipping restrictions, orders can’t be fulfilled for the following countries: Cuba, Crimea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine.

Redbubble you said? Redbubble was born in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. The dream was simple. Give independent artists a meaningful new way to sell their creations. Today, we connect over 700,000 artists and designers across the planet with millions of passionate fans. A brave (and dare we say stylish) new world of self-expression. Redbubble works with a global network of 3rd-party printers. Exactly! Australia is more than kangaroos and the Sydney Opera House. And more than Nicole Kidman!

No, Redbubble produces, ships, and collects. Hence, we do not have information about the client and many times we do not know who bought what.

Yes, we accept collaborations, and we listen to advise and suggestions. We also customize designs upon request. A family from NC, for instance, asked us to add some family brand names to one of our designs for Christmas gifts, and it worked perfectly!

No, we are not able to pay bills with the income from Backroomart yet, but we will. Your support is vital, and with a lot of work and effort from our side, I´m pretty sure we´ll get there.

PD. Here are some English posts from this blog you may be interested in: