Alejandro Abeledo

Literary Arts : Poet ; Multi-Disciplinary : Multiple Art Forms ; Performing Arts : Spoken Word Artist ; Teaching Artist/Instructor ; Visual Arts : Illustrator , Painter

Alejandro Abeledo is a multidisciplinary artist from Cuba based in San Antonio, Texas. A life long and self taught artist, he works in graphite, charcoal, paint, and digital mediums to explore themes of heritage, community, and connection. He began his portrait practice taking on portrait commissions for friends and clients, drawing inspiration from the bonds between his clients and his portrait subjects. His creative practice also encompasses poetry and music, with several recording projects under his belt and 16 years of performance experience.

Artist Statement of Work

Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):

I create portraits, figurative work, and poetry that explores my inner world and the relationships that make up my life. My work is emotional processing and I through it I reflect on my Cuban family's migrant story, grief, joy, and body dysmorphia. I make art and poetry for myself and those I care for and invite others to reflect on their worlds as they glimpse mine.

I paint and draw using graphite, charcoal, acrylic, oil, and digital illustration, sometimes combining media as projects take on emergent qualities that invite experimentation; The process is as much a part of art making for me as the final result.

My poems all begin with the same two puzzles; What is it really that I'm trying to say and how can I say it in a single page? An exploratory writing process establishes atmosphere and mood from which concrete themes later emerge. The poem, "Hell of Water" was originally inspired by my apartment flooding and it was only later that in trying to describe that moment the theme of my family's generational trauma revealed itself.