Ernesto Rancaño Vieites (Havana, 1968)

Rancaño works in several mediums, and in recent years his prolific and diverse body of work has achieved much international prominence.

Rancaño’s works often provoke contrasting emotions: calm and fear, uncertainty and clarity, pain and pleasure.  His aesthetic has been described as “post-medieval”, creating a fantastical space in which to explore national identity.  The softness and candour of his paintings envelop a spiritual quest that appeals to a wide audience. Rancaño states he is a  “lover of art in general” and in his works he has always felt a greater influence from literature and music, much more than from the formal discourse of other artists.

As Roberto Chile notes, “From his first steps in the world of art until today, [Rancaño] has walked this path with his luggage of life experiences, with painstaking craft and with imagination.  Whatever the vehicle, it is always human character that prevails, this particular sensibility of those who paint with their heartstrings”.

Rancaño has participated in several editions of the Biennial of Havana (2012, 2009, 2006, 2000), often with collateral exhibitions. In 2015 he exhibited in Zona Franca, the main exhibition space at the Morro Castle.  In recent months, he has exhibited in the US, Madrid, and Sri Lanka. He held an Artistic Residence in Algiers in 2015.  Rancaño’s works are in important private collections, including that of the musician Sting. They can also be found in permanent collections in Switzerland, Venezuela, Panama, Mexico, Jamaica, Spain, and Argentina.

He is the winner of several prestigious awards, including First Prize in the Concurso de Carteles, CETSS, Havana;  the Abel Santamaría Medal; and the Djerassi Fellowship, San Francisco, USA.