Cuba, Social Context and the Photographic Image

"Cuba, Social Context and the Photographic Image"
A presentation by Charles Anselmo

Cuba today unequivocally prevails as one of the most compellingly extraordinary image resources for photographers of all orientations, whether their themes involve the human subject, the natural world, the nascent beauty of abstract surfaces in the decayed capital, or the seemingly unlimited richness of Havana's four hundred years of architectural forms, now arrested in time and bathed in tropical light.

A veteran of thirty-one trips to Cuba since 2001, fine art photographer Charles Anselmo has widely exhibited his Havana portfolios while visually capturing the city's unique historical/architectural narrative. For the last three years he has also conducted week-long field workshops to Havana for small groups of photographers eager to engage the remarkable Cuban culture for the first time. Discussing his process and documentary technique in the field, Charles will also touch upon the issue of social context and the relevance of photographic art in Cuba today.

Besides his group travels to Cuba, Charles exhibits internationally, curates United States exhibits of work by famous Cuban photographers, operates a large format digital printing studio and an arts consultation service for exhibiting photographers, and will soon collaborate in the opening of a digital printing studio in Havana. He is Visiting Lecturer at the Havana School of Creative Photography, and was honored in 2012 with a rare invitation to present a solo exhibition at Havana's Fototeca Nacional de Cuba. HIs work is represented by PHOTO Fine Art Photography in Oakland, CA.