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Giant Twisted Nails and Melting Drums Give You a Taste of Cuba

Sculpture and painting duo Los Carpinteros are dedicated to their handmade, Havanna-influenced goods.
Duo de Congas Gris y Plata, 2015, Los Carpinteros, mixed media, 48 x 181 x 120 cm. All images courtesy the artists and Galerie Peter Kilchmann 

With a discerning eye for hand-crafted pieces with an absurdist bent, the Cuban artist duo, Los Carpinteros, or “The Carpenters,” draw their inspiration from a shared heritage and the significance of their materials. Even with a brief look at their sculptures and paintings, Los Carpinteros have a strong viewpoint. Two oversized rusted nails easily fill a stark gallery space with their jagged forms. A glossy set of of drums oozes into puddles of metallic goo.

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The amalgamation of materials, size, and positioning of the pieces culminate into the complete conceptual vision of a Los Carpinteros work of art. Marco Antonio Castillo Valdés and Dagoberto Rodriguez Sanchez, the Los Carpinteros duo, have known each other for nearly 30 years. According to an interview with Elephant magazine, it was studying at the elite Havana Art Academy, one of the highest levels of art school study in Cuba, where their fates aligned. Formerly, there was also a “third carpenter,” but ultimately, it was Valdés and Sanchez who stuck together and remained partners.

Bola de pelo, 2013, polystyrene, resin, hair, 135 x 250 x 134 cm

Clavo Siete, 2015, metal, 40 x 140 x 192 cm

Clavo Seis, 2015, metal, 140 x 160 x 138 cm

The nickname, “The Carpenters” developed as a result of the group’s preference for creating small sets of furniture and often using wood. Eventually, when the artists were looking for an official name, Los Carpinteros seemed the natural choice.

Now, after relocating seven years ago to pursue more control over the manufacture of their materials, the pair is based in Madrid. Originally, the plan was only to pass through and return to Cuba, but with the shuffling of creating a studio space and similarities between Madrid and Havana (the artists noticed both cities suffered from a lack of basic necessities and too many bureaucratic restraints), the short stay resulted in a semi-permanent residence.

“Here [Spain] people need to make things and we all have a common goal,” The Carpenters tell Elephant. “In that sense, the crisis has been a blessing… The limitations generate a good energy and the intention to change things.”

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But despite their love for the new locale, Los Carpinteros stay honest to their roots of craftsmanship and native country/geographic muse, Cuba.

Lugar sin ventanas dos, 2015, watercolor on paper, 93 x 126 cm

Celosía Estrella, 2015, Terracotta, 63 x 63 x 20 cm 

Superficie amarilla, 2014, watercolor on paper, 213.5 x 127.2 cm

To read and see more of Los Carpinteros’ work, visit their page at Galerie Peter Kilchmann, here.

Via Elephant Magazine

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