Yoan Capote b. 1977
Retrato de Familia (Ausencia), 2023
Scratched mirror and wooden frame
47 x 62 cm (18 1/2 x 24 3/8 in.)
The series Retrato de Familia examines themes of identity and belonging, with specific reference to Yoan Capote’s Cuban heritage. Growing up on the island during a time of international isolation,...
The series Retrato de Familia examines themes of identity and belonging, with specific reference to Yoan Capote’s Cuban heritage. Growing up on the island during a time of international isolation, for the artist the sea was emblematic of a boundary of possibility that simultaneously offered connection and separation. Here, a seemingly serene sea is conveyed through the artist’s skilful scratching of a mirror surface, presenting a distant vista that also incorporates fragments of the viewer’s own reflection.
The title of the work alludes to the song ‘Foto de familia’ by Carlos Varela, an iconic song for Capote’s generation in Cuba, which bravely reminds the viewer of the many different connotations and sentiments evoked by the sea. It is a painful truth that the sea – a symbol of joy, beauty and calm for many – is also a place of tragedy, loss and despair, especially in relation to migration and displacement of peoples. Each work from the series is also given a subtitle – here Ausencia (absence) – which further emphasises the sense of loss and frustration conveyed through the work.As the artist has explained, “When a Cuban looks at the sea, it evokes the isolation and pain of thousands of families, the anxiety, and the psychological frustration of living in a divided country. The sea becomes a wall or a barbed-wire fence delimiting one’s destiny.”