Biography

Adrián Fernández, born in Havana, Cuba, is a contemporary visual artist currently based in New Jersey, United States of America.

Fernández studied at the San Alejandro Fine Arts Academy and the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana, Cuba. His career as a visual artist has extended into teaching as an adjunct professor of photography for New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography and Imaging.                                                                                                                                                            

Skilled as both a photographer and a sculptor, Fernández's work breaks through conventional boundaries. His sculptural work is exemplified by his use of CorTen steel and bronze, employing weathered patinas to evoke an organic counterpoint to the precise geometries inherent in his volumes.

His photographic work integrates documentary photography with digitally generated elements, incorporating architectural and engineering software to create images that challenge conventional perception, resulting in an innovative and immersive imaginary reality.

At the heart of Fernández's artistic exploration is his interest in the symbolic resonance between objects, architectural forms, and fragments of the material world that weave into the fabric of human existence.

His work has found a home in prestigious institutions such as the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Perez Art Museum in Miami, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana, and the 21C Museum Hotels Collection, among others.

C.V.

EDUCACIÓN / EDUCATION

2010   

  • Graduated from the Superior Institute of Art (ISA), Havana, Cuba.

2008   

  • Documentary Photography Workshop, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, Special Programs Abroad. Havana, Cuba.

  • High Quality Digital Photography Workshop, Fototeca de Cuba, Havana, Cuba.

2007   

  • Documentary Filmmaking Workshop, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, Special Programs Abroad. Havana, Cuba.

2004   

  • Graduated from San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba.

DOCENCIA / TEACHING

2023, 2022, 2016, 2014, 2012     

  • Adjunct Professor of Documentary Photography in New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography and Imaging.

EXPOSICIONES INDIVIDUALES / SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022-23

  • Sketch for a Monument. Thomas Nickles Projects. Manhattan, NY, USA.

  • 2022

  • Recent works. Artist in residence at Residency Unlimited. New York, NY, USA.

  • 2020   

  • Memorias Pendientes (Pending Memories). Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center. Havana, Cuba.

2019   

  • Pending Memories, AREA Gallery, Boston, MA, USA.

  • Pending Memories, Montserrat College of Arts, Beverly, MA, USA.

2018   

  • Monumento al hombre incompleto (Monument to the incomplete man), Center for the Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.

  • El umbral de la incertidumbre (The threshold of uncertainty), NG Art Gallery. Panama City.

  • El umbral de la incertidumbre (The threshold of uncertainty), Servando Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2015   

  • Notas sobre el hombre perfecto (Notes about the perfect man), Artis 718 Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

  • Réquiem (Requiem), Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña, 12th Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba.

2013   

  • Epílogos de la imagen idealizada (Epilogues of the idealized image), Servando Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2011   

  • Estilo de vida (Life Style), Houston Center for Photography. Houston, Texas. USA.

2010

  • Apuntes para estudio de perfil (Sketches for a profile study), Center for the Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.

2007

  • Inventory Project, Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. Havana, Cuba.

2006 

  • Límites (Limits), Juan David Gallery, Yara Cultural Center. Havana, Cuba. 

2003 

  • In & Out. Luz y Oficios Visual Arts and Design Provincial Center. Havana, Cuba.

2002   

  • Otros puntos en el espacio (Other points in space), Fototeca de Cuba. Havana, Cuba.

EXPOSICIONES COLECTIVAS / GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023

  • Under the spell of the palm tree. The Rice Collection of Cuban Art. Harn Museum of Art. Florida. USA.

  • You know who you are. Recent acquisitions of Cuban art from the Jorge M. Perez Collection. El Espacio 23. Miami. Florida, USA.

2022

  • Contemporary Cuban Art: History, Identity, and Materiality. Boise Art Museum. Boise, Idaho, USA.

2019   

  • Detrás del Muro (Behind the Wall), XIII Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba

  • HB, Great Theater of Havana Alicia Alonso, XIII Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba

2017   

  • Art x Cuba. Contemporary Perspectives since 1989. Ludwig Forum. Aachen, Germany

  • Registro Incompleto (Incomplete Inventory), Galería Habana. Havana, Cuba.

  • Overseas: Cuba and the Bahamas. Contemporary Art from the Caribbean, HALLE 14 Centre for Contemporary Art. Leipzig, Germany.

  • Shifting Metaphors: Cuba in changing times. Contemporary Cuban photography and video art, Rosphoto. Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

  • Cuban Photography after 1980: Selection from the Museum’s Collection. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas. USA.

2016

  • Cuban Perspectives, Couturier Gallery. Los Angeles, California, USA.

  • Flowers. Fabian & Claude Walter Gallery. Zurich, Switzerland.

  • Sujetos y Predicados (Subjects and Predicates), Fábrica de Arte Cubano. Havana, Cuba.

  • (Art)xiomas CUBA AHORA: The next generation, Art Museum of the Americas. Washington DC, USA.

  • La piel del otro (The skin of the other), Villa Manuela Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

  • Ascensión (Ascension), El Reino de este mundo gallery, National Library. Havana, Cuba

  • Cuba Libre: Contemporary Cuban Art since Peter Ludwig, Ludwig Museum, Koblenz. Germany.

  • Not photography. Erin Cluley Gallery, Dallas. Texas, USA.

2015   

  • El Péndulo de Foucault (Foucault’s Pendulum), Morro Cabaña Historical Park. 12th Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba.

  • HB, Pabexpo. 12th Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba.

  • The Light in Cuban Eyes, Robert Mann Gallery, New York. USA.

  • 1305 Miles, Magnan Metz Gallery. New York, USA.

2014   

  • Post it, Artis 718 Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

  • Dios los cría (God Raises Them), Factoría Habana Gallery. Havana, Cuba.

2013   

  • Puente (Bridge). Cuban Art Exhibition, Helen Day Art Center. Stowe, Vermont. USA.

  • Pingyao International Photography Festival. Pingyao, China.

  • Nordic Light. International Photography Festival. Kristiansund, Norway.

2012   

  • Phnom Penh Photography Festival, Quai Sisovath. Phnom Penh, French Institute of Camboya. Camboya.

  • In the Light of Cuban Eyes, Lake Forest College. Illinois, Chicago. USA.

  • The Art of Photography Show, Museum of the Living Artist. San Diego, California. USA.

  • Regards croise, Photo Aix Festival, Fontaine Obscure Gallery. Aix en Provence, France.

  • En mala forma (In bad shape), Morro Cabaña Historical Park, 11th Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba.

  • Estudio 7&60, Open Studio, Galería Servando, Colateral a la XI Bienal 
    de La Habana, Cuba.

  • 7 & 60 studio, Art 12 Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium.

2011   

  • Photo Quai 2011 Biennial, Quai Branly Museum. Paris, France.

  • Photoforum 2011, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas. USA.

2010  

  • Del ser o el parecer (To be or to pretend), Carrie Haddad Photographs Gallery. Hudson, New York. USA.

  • El otro extremo de la bala (The opposite end of the bullet), Pabellón Cuba, Havana, Cuba.

2009   

  • Fotografía cubana contemporánea (Contemporary Cuban Photography), Paseo de la Reforma. Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico.

2008   

  • V Salón de Arte Cubano Contemporáneo,(Contemporary cuban art salon) Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba.

  • Cubanos Convertibles,(Cuban convertibles) Galería Habana, Havana, Cuba

2007   

  • Masa crítica (Critical Mass), Center for the Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.

  • Visitaciones al héroe, variaciones de la duda (Visitations to the Hero, Doubt Variations), Salle Zéro, Alliance Française. Havana, Cuba.

  • Ni a favor ni en contra, todo lo contrario (Neither in Favor nor Against, on the Contrary), Faculty of Arts and Literature, University of Havana. Havana, Cuba.

FERIAS / FAIRS 

2023

  • Hamptons Fine Art Fair. Alex Rosenberg Fine Art. New York. USA

  • Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary. The Schoolhouse Gallery. Palm Beach. Florida, USA

2020

  • Photo LA. NG Art & Gallery. Los Ángeles, USA.

2019

  • ArtBo. Servando Gallery. Bogotá, Colombia

  • Zona MACO. Servando Gallery. CDMX, Mexico.

2018

  • ArtBo. Servando Gallery. Bogotá, Colombia

  • Zona MACO. Servando Gallery. CDMX, Mexico.

  • Scope New York. NG Art & Gallery. Miami,USA

2017

  • Scope Miami. NG Art & Gallery. Miami, USA

  • Armory Show. Yossi Milo Gallery. New York, USA

  • Scope Art Fair. NG Art & Gallery. New York, USA.

2015

  • Scope Art Fair. The Schoolhouse Gallery. Miami, USA.

2016

  • Photo Basel. Fabian & Claude Galerie. Basel, Switzerland.

2013

  • CHACO (Feria de Arte Contemporaneo de Chile)

  • Affordable Art Fair NYC. Co Galeria de Arte.

  • Affordable Art Fair Mexico. Co Galeria de Arte.

  • Affordable Art Fair Seattle. Co Galeria de Arte.

COLECCIONES / COLLECTIONS

  • Getty Museum. Los Angeles, CA, USA.

  • The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA.

  • 21C Museum Hotels Collection. USA.

  • Perez Art Museum Miami. Miami, FL. USA.

  • Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. University of Oregon. Oregon, USA.

  • Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary. Williamsburg, VA. USA.

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. NY, USA.

  • Consejo Nacional de las Artes Plásticas. Havana, Cuba.

  • Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Havana. Cuba

  • Fototeca de Cuba. Havana, Cuba.

  • Daniel & Estrellita Brodsky Collection, NY. USA.

  • Madeleine & Harvey Plonsker Collection. Chicago, IL. USA.

  • Lucy and Dick Glasebrook Collection. Greenwich, CT, USA.

  • Berezdivin Collection. Puerto Rico, USA.

  • Seavest Collection. NY, USA.

  • The Rice Collection of Cuban Art. Tampa FL, USA.

  • Robert Funcke Collection. Frankfurt, Germany.

RESIDENCIES & AWARDS

2022

  • Pocantico Art Residency. Rockefeller Brothers Fund. New York. USA.

  • Residency Unlimited. Artist in residency April -May 2022. Sponsored by the Cuban Artist Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. New York. USA.

  • Twenty Summers. Artist in residency June 2022. Provincetown. USA.

2019

  • Lens Culture Arts Photography Award. Juror’s Pick 2019.