Roberto Salas

About the artist

Roberto Salas, born in New York City of Cuban parents (his father was the great Cuban photographer, Osvaldo Salas) in 1940, has been living and working in Havana since 1959. He served as a U.N. correspondent and as a war correspondent in Vietnam, Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia. He has had more than 40 one-man shows worldwide and has garnered more than 100 prizes and honorable mentions in major photo competitions.

About the exhibit

This is a fascinating photographic essay by one of Cuba's most well-known photographers, Roberto Salas. In a series of black and white photos done with multiple printing, Salas presents the male and female nude entwined with tobacco leaves and cigars. The photographs are at once erotic and an homage to Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies. In his photos, one sees the dances and rituals associated with the "orishas" (gods) of the Santería belief system as well as the enchantment of the cigar. It is a reminder that tobacco enthralls the producers of the world's finest cigars as much as it currently captivates the U.S. cigar-smoking public.

This photo essay was first shown in March 1997 in Havana during the 30th anniversary celebration of the Cohiba cigar. The exhibit's first presentation in the United States was at the Metropolitan Arts Center in New York City, September-October, 1997.

The exhibit consists of 40 photographs, each 16 x 20, and comes with the catalog from the first presentation. Each photograph is mounted on foam core with plexiglass and clips. The rental cost for one month is $2,500, which includes round-trip shipping from New York City and insurance costs en route. The renting institution is responsible for insuring the works during the time of the exhibit. Each photograph is valued at $650.

For further information: the Cuban Art Space, telephone (212) 242-0559, fax (212) 242-1937.