Salvador Gonzáles Escalona

Salvador González Escalona (October 21, 1948 – April 16, 2021) was a Cuban painter, muralist and sculptor. His artist name was Salvador.

His work is known as an "afro-cuban" style. He describes his work as a mix of surrealism, cubism and abstract art.

Life Escalona was born on October 21, 1948, in Camagüey. He had no formal art education, but as early as in 1968 he had his first art exhibition "Arte Popular Cubano" in "Museo de Artes Decorativas", Havana.

In the 1980s, he had a series of art exhibitions at Cuba. In 1986 he had an exhibition at Seychelles and in 1987 an exhibition in Rome, Italy.

Escalona died on April 16, 2021, in Havana.

Callejón de Hamel

On April 21, 1990, Escalona started with murals and sculptures in the alleyway Callejón de Hamel, near University of Havana. For sculptures he used scrap objects like bathtubs, hand pumps, pinwheels etc., and for the murals he used different kind of available paint, including car enamel.

Even though the first four years became difficult, he was inspired by local inhabitants and visitors to continue his work, and little by little, the street was transformed from a slum area to an enthusiastic Afro-Cuban centre.

Today there are workshops for young Cuban children to learn painting. Every Sunday there are rumba performances, and every Friday Cuban music in the street. Callejón de Hamel is still Escalona's artistic headquarter.

Later exhibitions From 1990 he is represented at various exhibitions at Cuba. From 1992 he had several exhibitions abroad: 1992 – Stavanger + Bergen (University of Bergen) + Florø, Norway 1992 – Aarhus + Copenhagen, Denmark 1994 – Mexico 1994 – Randers, Denmark 1996 – Vejle, Denmark 1997 - San Juan, Puerto Rico 1998 - New York City (The Metropolitan Pavilion Gallery) + University of California, Los Angeles, United States 1999 - New York (Manhattan), United States 2000 - New York (The Metropolitan Pavilion Gallery) + Tiberino + Philadelphia, United States 2005 – Madrid, Spain

Murals Besides several murals at Cuba, he has done murals abroad: 1991 – "El Hijo del Sol", 350 m2 – Hotel Caracas Hilton, Venezuela 1992 – Florø, Norway 1993 – "Ancestros" - Centro Multicultural, Xochimilco. Invited by Dr. Fèlix Zurita Ochoa, Mexico 1994 – "Sol de America" - Museo Antropologico de Querétaro, Institudo Indigenista Otomi, Universidad Autonomica, Querétaro, Mexico 1995 – "Madre Agua", "Solidaritetshuset", Copenhagen, Denmark 1995 – "La Roca del Amor" – The Johnson State College, Vermont + a mural in Arizona, United States 1996 – "Deidales del Mar" – Vejle, Denmark 1996 – "El muerto pare el Santo" + "Iku Lobi Osha" – California + "La creacion de Obbatala ante el dios del Camino" – New Jersey (Roosevelt elementary school) + "El dios del Camino" – New York (Washington Square Preschool), United States 1996 – Hospitality center, Alburquerque, United States 1998 – "El framboyan" – New York (El Museo del Barrio), United States 1998 – "Orilla frente al Mar" + "Rumba" + "Rumba en la Rumba" + "De un solo pajaro las dos alas", Puerto Rico 2000 – "Mariposas del Caribe" – Philadelphia, United States 2001 – "Una Flor para Africa" – Philadelphia, United States 2007 – Turin, Italy

Sculptures Besides several sculptures at Cuba: 1994 – "La ganga y la Llave" – Randers, Denmark 1996 – "Yemaya Olokun" – Vejle, Denmark

Movies Several video-interviews is produced by Cuban TV and by others. 2002 the 79 minutes documentary "A Cuban Legend: The Story of Salvador González" was produced by Bette Wanderman.