Salvador Gonzalez Escalona (Camaguey1948, Havana 2021) lived and worked in Havana for most of his adult life. While his work is widely known as "Afro-Cuban" style, Salvador himself described it as a mix of surrealism, cubism and abstract art. Without any formal training he had his first art exhibition , "Arte Popular Cubano", in the "Museo de Artes Decorativas" in Havana, in 1968. Since the mid-1980’s he has had exhibitions and commissioned works in Cuba, Europe, Latin America and the United States, including New York and Philadelphia.
In 1990 he began murals and sculptures in the now well-known Callejón de Hamel alleyway near the University of Havana, incorporating discarded objects like bathtubs, hand pumps, pin wheels, scrap metal, and any kind of available paint. Despite initial difficulties 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 into a vibrant Afro-Cuban cultural space and street art gallery that attracts visitors from all over the world.
Salvador Gonzalez died in Havana in April 2021.
