BIOGRAPHY

Cuban, b.1971

Damián Aquiles was born in 1971 in Havana, Cuba, where he continues to live and work. He graduated from the School of Graphic Design in Havana and attended the Art Academy of San Alejandro. In 1997, he travelled to the United States as one of a handful of artists granted a visa at the time. In 1999, he returned to Cuba to work full-time as an artist. Damian Aquiles’ work ranges from painting to installation to metalwork; he carefully selects and utilizes found materials such as discarded paint cans and scrap metals from his native Cuba and transforms them into stunning masterpieces. Aquiles chooses to work with used materials for the concentrated energy that emanates from them – by recycling these materials, he uses their previous life, energy and history to tell his own story.

Aquiles credits Beth Rudin de Woody, Paul & Nancy Pelosi, Rita Schrager and more as collectors of his work. Beyond his artwork, Aquiles and his wife Pamela Ruiz have become renowned in Cuba for their remarkable home – which can be considered a work of art itself and has been featured in numerous design publications – where they host celebrity guests such as Katy Perry, Will and Jada Smith, Rufus Wainwright and more. FACUNDO celebrates Aquiles’ return to the New York art scene with the launch of this collection.