The work of Cuban-American painter Carlos Luna is recognized and celebrated for his vibrant and evocative creations that intertwine and fuse elements of Afro-Cuban culture and rural Cuba, Mexican cultural references, and currents of modern aesthetics. Born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, the artist embarks on his career under the influence of the traditions of his native land, always marked by a deep relationship and identification with the culture of the countryside. But this ever-present connection becomes complicated and fractures, first in the face of the instability and turbulence fostered by authoritarian Cuban politics and then with exile in Mexico and its eventual settlement in the United States.

Luna is a painter with his own distinctive style, somewhere between hybrid and syncretic, with some vestiges and signs that point, here or there, to influential masters such as Wifredo Lam or Carlos Enrique, Mariano Rodriguez, Marcelo Pogolotti, or Francisco Toledo. Bold strokes and intense colors that are often framed in darkness, his paintings are visual narratives that, through a unique language, have managed to formulate a personal universe between Caribbean and Cuban symbols, Mexican mythologies that merge with Afro-Cuban traditions, proverbs, and phrases that are sprinkled with experiences and autobiographical moments. These narratives address simple and complex themes and stories, often animated by an idiosyncratic interaction between the cultural heritage, the artist’s identity references, and his contemporary experience.