Edel Alvarez Galban

Edel Alvarez Galban (born 1967), also known artistically as A. Galban, is a Cuban American visual artist and physician. His work has been featured in national and international fine art exhibitions and events as well as in public art, published literature, and televised Latin American media. He has been noted as a significant figure of Contemporary Cuban art in Central Florida by helping to establish its presence above South Florida in the 21st century. Galban's work has been exhibited in the United States, Cuba, Mexico, and Costa Rica and is part of the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum of Art and the Alvin Sherman Library.

Biography and career

Edel Alvarez Galban was born on September 28, 1967, in Havana, Cuba where he was also raised.

He showed early artistic inclination in his youth, although his initial professional intent was to pursue a medical career in Cuba. The following year he completed fine arts education from the Federico Engel Art School in Havana where he studied sculpture and draftsmanship.

In 1995 Galban permanently emigrated to the United States where he joined the Cuban exile community in Miami. Since relocating to St. Petersburg, Galban gradually emerged as among the most visible Cuban artists of the region as well as a proponent of Cuban art throughout Central Florida, having frequently exhibiting his work throughout Tampa, Orlando and Clearwater, as well as supporting other Cuban artists.

Recognition

Galban's work has been exhibited in several international cultural centers and art markets, including New York City, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Coral Gables and Puerto Rico.

Through his career, Galban's art has been covered by several media outlets including The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, U.S. News & World Report, Diario Las Americas, Arts Coast Magazine, ArtBust Miami, SocialMiami, Miami New Times, Coral Gables News, Revista Enfoque, Caritate Magazine, The Artisan Magazine, The Biscayne Tribune, Norte America.Mx, ZoePost, Akeru Noticias, Yucatán Cultura, and Art Miami Magazine.

In non-print media, Galban was the focus of a July 2, 2022 episode of the Editorial Akerú Publicaciones video series Hagalo con arte. On February 1, 2024, Galban was interviewed by Miguel Galicia on Performance Radio. His artwork is also featured on the Latin American television show Raymond y sus Amigos.

Galban's work has featured in the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa installments of the Nude Nite exhibition, the largest exhibition of nude-themed art in the United States.

In 2023, Galban was awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Beyond Placemaking grant of US$10,000.

Galban with his public artwork in the Clearwater Main Library, 2023. The mural is based on his 2021 painting La Noche Bella No Deja Dormir.

Among Galban's culturally significant works is the painting La Noche Bella No Deja Dormir (2021). Depicting Cuban national hero José Martí, the piece was selected in 2023 to be converted into a public art mural in the Clearwater Main Library. It is also featured on the cover of the book of the same name by Froilan Escobar.

A significant collaboration in Galban's career has been his work with the award-winning Latin American author and painter Froilán Escobar, which have ranged from the visual arts and into published literature.

Galban's work has been the subject of the books Agalban: The Colors of Life (2022) and Agalban El color del deslumbramiento (2023). His work has been featured in published literature by prominent Latin American authors, such as Froilan Escobar and José León Sánchez. Books featuring Glaban's work include Mujer en el enjambre, Señora de la Noche, Jardines Invisibles, La noche bella no deja dormir, Tres en una taza, and Herencias.

In 2024, Galban initiated and co-curated the Flora & Fauna exhibition, held in The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, the former site of the Gulf Coast Museum of Art. The exhibition was co-curated by Tarin Mohajeri and established a high profile with the inclusion of several prominent and internationally-established artists such as Josignacio, Adriano Nicot, and Jorge Dans. Flora & Fauna was covered by The Artisan Magazine, Diario Las Americas, as well as television media.

In September 2024, a piece from Galban’s Fleur du Mal series was accepted into the permanent collection of the Alvin Sherman Library, one of the largest libraries in the state of Florida, as part of the Marta Permuy Legacy Collection. The library’s permanent collection also features work by Salvador Dalí, Peter Max, and Dale Chihuly. The piece was subsequently unveiled with an exhibition at the library in October 2024.

In December 2024, Galban was featured in Forbidden Fruit, the largest documented exhibition of Cuban erotic art, held during Miami Art Week 2024 as part of Art Basel Miami 2024. That month Galban was also added into the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum of Art with his work Lagrimas de la Habana (2023).

Analysis

Galban's artistic style is eclectic. Despite beginning his studies in sculpture, Galban transitioned into painting to better express and work with color. He is known professionally in the arts as AGalban, an abbreviation of both his last names per Spanish naming customs, and it is also how he typically signs his work. 2024 - Forbidden Fruit, the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM), Miami Beach, FL

Personal life Alvarez Galban is married to Rebecca Lauren. He has two children: a daughter, Lucia, and son, Lennon. He resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.