Bayate Group: An Icon of Santiago de Cuba

Naïf art undoubtedly stands for life, as it has been shown over the past three years in exhibits of works created by emblematic Bayate Group, at La Confronta Gallery and the Regional Naïf Art Hall, Titon Hall, at the subsidiary of Cuba’s Writers and Artists League (UNEAC is the Spanish acronym) in Santiago de Cuba.

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This prestigious group of artists is headed by the founding family Rodriguez, who has worked since December 17, 1994, to rescue the cultural roots of the community, Mella Municipality, and the pictorial tradition of the territory.

Both Luis Rodriguez Arias (father) and his son Luis the Student hold a strong filial and artistic link. Their leadership as pillars of this cultural project has gone deep into the heart of those who have enjoyed their artworks, with the emotion and nostalgia of recalling our childhood and youth in rural areas, surrounded by the lyricism and color of the reality in our countryside.

The simple and natural life reflected on these artists’ works get viewers moved, not only because of the mastery of their content, but the effort and amorous dedication they entail.

The artists stand out as genuine creators by means of their harmonic designs, with plenty of color and light.

Beyond gathering, recognizing and assessing painters all over the territory, as well as protecting and fostering their works in national and international spheres, they have developed a research project led by Luis the Student, thus obtaining historic data and new initiatives to look for all precedents of the local culture.

Bayate Group has carried out numberless collective displays in Cuba since 1994 and overseas since 1995, not to mention the prizes, recognitions and mentions they have been given because of their talent.

Their artistic production has been showcased in Spain, France, USA, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Venezuela, Israel, Poland, Canada, Sweden, and Dominican Republic, among others.

The group’s work is also included in prestigious private and public collections, such as the National Museum of Fine Arts, in Cuba, and “Albert Laporte” Museum of Naïf Art, in France. It’s important to highlight their contribution to the cultural sphere of the community.

All in all, Bayate Group’s artworks are far more than artistic representations; they show the purest human values of their creators as they shed light on the extraordinary mix of colors featured by our Cuban countryside.