Gabriel Davalos Portrays Cuba in Motion

The journalist Gabriel Davalos stands out as a talented photography artist. His work emerges as a captivating blend of the spirit of dance and the urban landscape.

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Through his lens, he captures a social context that tells the stories of Cubans and how they live in the backdrop of their real lives. The documentary nature of his photography is essentially a result of his social calling, serving as one more element of the primary language that humans have used since the dawn of existence to communicate.

His background as a journalist has enabled him to showcase a reality of Havana. As a chronicler, he narrates stories through images, using iconography as a pretext to depict real-life narratives, where the dancer becomes another way of interpreting reality, and the language of dance is the means of expression.

Davalos regards Havana as the mother of all Cubans. In this iconic city, he discovers a multitude of meanings, making it a place he always returns to. The protagonists of his images are the experiences that the city conveys and the essence of the settings.

The text reads, "Gabriel Davalos is a visual artist who studied journalism but is dedicated to discovering the mysteries of dance photography."

This versatile artist aims to convey a message, sensations, experiences, joys, sorrows, pains, faith, and endeavors.

"There is no one Cuba above others. The essence of Cuba lies in all these shared truths," he asserts, emphasizing that his work is connected to the reality of all his compatriots, who come from perseverance and resistance.

One of his iconic images portrays a dancer amidst a storm on an overflowing malecon. With stones in the street and waves crashing, the dancer lies wet on the ground, holding a ballerina who seems to be dreaming and flying.

"In some way, that relates to the history of Cubans. It's not the story of the present moment, which is so challenging. It's our entire history because Cubans come from and have emerged from resilience," the artist stressed.

"Difficult and complex times haven't stopped us from dreaming, thinking, believing, and having faith," he added.

Davalos sees photography as a mirror in which everyone reflects experiences and ways of understanding life and the world. Through his work, he highlights ordinary people and places.

In his images, he also incorporates figures, movements, and emotions from ballet, an art that the Cuban revolution has nurtured and transformed into another symbol of its achievements.