José Vincench

José Angel Vincench was born in 1973, in Holguín, Cuba.  He completed his arts studies in Havana’s Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), and lives and works in Havana.  

Vincench’s take on conceptual art is guided by issues that are relevant to Cuban social life and by his religious affiliation and political vision. The artist uses elements characteristic of religious Afro-Cuban rituals and breaks them down with graphic simplicity. Cuban and Caribbean art is typically spontaneous, emotional, and colorful; however, in the 1980s, the region’s politics changed radically, causing Cuban artists to reflect more on the cognitive rather than the aesthetic process of art making. Artists such as Vincench thus became increasingly introspective and critical, which has resulted in his more minimalist and abstract style.