Henry Ballate

Henry Ballate (born July 30, 1966, in Aguada de Pasajeros, Cuba), is a Cuban-American visual artist, curator and Art History Professor. He left Cuba in a flimsy raft through the treacherous waters of the Florida Straits in 1994. He currently lives and works between New York City and Miami.

Education Henry received his MFA in Visual Arts and his BFA in Graphic Design from Miami International University of Art and Design in 2007. Previously, he studied drawing and painting at the Accademia italiana in Florence, Italy, and graduated from the Art Instructors school in Matanzas, Cuba.

Art In his work, Henry merges art history with the contemporary style by using popular symbols, visuals, and techniques of his own making. He deals with provocative themes in his art, mixing them with popular culture in order to create a significant message. His work is easily recognizable through his use of known iconography, which are essential to his public interventions and appropriations. Throughout his career, he has exhibited at solo and group shows in America, Europe, and Asia. His works are part of private collections in the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy.

Selected exhibitions 2019 – The Repeating Island: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean, Kendall Art Center, Miami, Florida, USA 2019 – Crosscurrents: Contemporary Selections from the Rodríguez Collection of Cuban Artists, Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, FL. US 2018 – Tech Effect, Cornell Art Museum, Delray Beach, FL. USA 2018 – Against Gravity. Doral Contemporary Art Museum (DORCAM). Doral, USA. 2018 – MUD Foundation Gallery, Miami, FL. USA 2017 – Kendall Art Center, Miami, FL. USA 2016 – Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA 2015 – Vargas Gallery, Pembroke Pines, USA 2014 – Art-Street Project, Valencia, Spain 2013 – London Art Biennale, Chelsea, London, UK 2013 – Art-Street Project During Art Basel Week, Miami, USA 2012 – Vargas Gallery, Pembroke Pines, USA 2011 – MIU Gallery, Miami, USA 2011 – SOHO ARTS, Miami, USA 2010 – Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA 2010 – Arteamericas, Miami, USA 2009 – National Art Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009 – Galeria Nacional, San Jose, Costa Rica 2008 – Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA 2008 – State Art Collection, Tallahassee, USA 2007 – FYR Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy 2006 – Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA 2005 – Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA 2004 – Art Miami, Miami, USA 2004 – Latin American Art Museum, Miami, USA 2003 – Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA 2003 – Latin American Art Museum, Miami, USA 2002 – Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA 2001 – Florence Biennale, Dialogue Among Civilizations, Florence, Italy 2001 – Sirius Studio Art Gallery, Miami, USA 1992 – Galería Provincial de Arte, Cienfuegos, Cuba 1992 – Casa de Joven Creador, Cienfuegos, Cuba 1991 – Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas, Habana, Cuba 1990 – Galería de Arte Varadero, Matanzas, Cuba 1990 – Galería de Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba 1989 – Galería Aguada, Aguada de Pasajeros, Cienfuegos, Cuba

Curated exhibitions 2019 – Retratos en chino: Aldo Menéndez Retrospective (1999–2019) Kendall Art Center. 2019 – Ciro Quintana: Land-Scape of the Cuban Art, Kendall Art Center. 2018 – Four artists One Generation, Kendall Art Center. 2018 – Unofficial, Kendall Art Center 2017 – Across Time: Cuban Artists from vanguardist to contemporaries, Kendall Art Center 2017 – Artists in Purgatory, Kendall Art Center. 2017 – Cuban Slugger by Reynerio Tamayo, Kendall Art Center 2016 – Diálogos Místicos by José Bedia, Kendall Art Center. 2016 – International Group Exhibition, 21 New Abstract. Vargas Gallery 2015 – Explor-Art Puerto Rico, Group Exhibition. Vargas Gallery