Alberto Martinez

In a tiny Cuban town surrounded by sugar cane plantations, Alberto was born in 1977. Alberto started his artistic career by sketching the steam engines pulling the cane-filled trucks.

Alberto was lucky to have support from family and friends who saw his artistic talent. As a result, he was given the opportunity to enrol at Trinidad's fine arts academy, Oscar Fernandez Morera. Alberto began studying sculpture but later changed his major to painting after experimenting with oil on canvas. His use of shapes, spatial composition, and general style are all still greatly influenced by his understanding of sculpture. After receiving his degree, Alberto participated in a number of exhibitions in Cuba before moving to Brighton, England, in 2005.

Alberto's work begins with an initial idea that he tends to develop in the wee hours, when "rational thinking is asleep," which, he claims, he inherited from his father. He is blessed with a great sense of humour. With a blend of wit, imagination, hidden meaning, and nuance, Alberto's surrealistic style explores the problems facing modern man through landscapes and cityscapes that are rife with dreamlike imagery. He embellishes reality to support compelling narratives, which reflects his keen historical sense, as well as his comprehension of political science and the dynamic nature of the global society.

His use of colour, exquisite attention to detail, wit, humour, and a variety of intriguing elements that interact to challenge our preconceived notions of the world make his work distinctive. He draws inspiration from the challenges presented by his move to England in his intricately crafted stories.