Artist Profile: Jose Luis Hernandez ("Kilo")

This former civil engineer, nicknamed "Kilo," is part of the first generation of artists born after the "Triumph of the Revolution" which changed Cuba in so many ways. Born in 1964, Kilo was educated first as a civil engineer at the Jose Echevarria Instituto Superior Politecnico and later at the prestigious San Alejandro national academy of art, the principal art school in Cuba from which many of the top artists have graduated. For several years he was part of the Hermanos Saiz artists association, and now he is riding the new wave of interest in Cuban art. How can you characterize his work? It is difficult, which is why I like to call his art "eclectic" - a synthesis of many styles, from Baroque to post-modern - much like Cuba itself. A distinctive aspect of Kilo's work is the juxtaposition of the different objects he puts together, which gives a sometimes mysterious quality to his paintings. Jose, married with a young son and daughter, has shown internationally in New York, as well as Mexico and France.

—Ana Weir