Preview
Description
Sergio Lastres (b. 1965) is among the leading Cuban artists associated with the famous Rafter/Balsero migration crisis of 1994. He Has exhibited extensively in several major cities including New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Coral Gables, Naples, San Juan Puerto Rico, as well as internationally in Madrid Spain, Basel Switzerland, Cordoba Argentina, Merida Mexico, Panama City, Cusco Peru, and Caracas Venezuela.
His work has appeared in several books and magazines, and covered in print media including
The Miami Herald , Diario Las Americas, Miami Exclusive Magazine, Enepece Magazine, and El Vocero in Puerto Rico. His art is featured within the permanent collection of The Wilzig Museum, Miami Beach, the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies in Duke University, and the Neumann Association in Chicago.
In 2013, Lastres reached new levels of international recognition when he created the piece Liberación (Liberation), which depicts a hand overlaid with the Cuban flag making an “L” sign for “liberty.” The piece quickly became an iconic symbol and had gone viral internationally, eventually becoming adopted by the anti-Castro and pro-democracy San Isidro Movement and the Christian Liberation Movement in Cuba. The work is also featured in a public artwork Lastres was commissioned to create as a monument in Hialeah, Florida in honor of Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya (1952–2012).
This piece, Habana con alas color de mar, Habana con alas color de mar, represents his life-changing experience crossing the sea from Cuba to reach the United States. It serves as a tribute to the city he left behind, Havana, represented by the Classical female bust. It is also a tribute to those who did not survive the journey. Lastres has described the emotion of seeing empty rafts and boats in the middle of the sea during the dramatic, storm-filled voyage in August 1994, which here is represented by the empty vessel. As with Liberación, Habana con alas color de mar shows Lastres ability to convey the intense and long-running struggle for freedom of the Cuban people, their relationship with the United States, and the sacrifices made in search of a better life.
Date Digital
2026
Date Original
2011
Format
Oil on canvas