Carlos Enrique Prado is a Cuban-born visual artist who currently resides and works in Miami, Florida. He has focused his career on creating ceramic sculptures and public art. In addition to his art practice, he also is a professor of art at the University of Miami, where he instructs students on the art of modeling the human figure using clay, as well as various ceramic levels and techniques.
Prado's artistic creations span across several mediums, including sculpture, ceramics, drawings, paintings, photographs, digital art, installations, interventions, and performances. Notably, he has also produced numerous public artworks, featuring monumental sculptures located in significant places throughout various cities. His works delve into visual translations of ancient topics into contemporary paradigms and aesthetics. Through this process, the human figure is both employed and dismantled, resulting in a unique visual representation of classical subjects in modern times.
Carlos completed his studies in sculpture and drawing at the National Academy of Fine Arts "San Alejandro", and later earned a BFA in Sculpture and an MFA in Studio Art from ISA University of the Arts of Cuba, the most esteemed art education center in the country. His artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at major art institutions, museums, and galleries throughout America and Europe, and is held in notable private and public collections. Prado has also organized and curated several exhibitions and has presented his work as a visiting artist and guest speaker at various universities and art centers, including Arizona State University, University of Southern California, Midwestern State University, University of Mary Washington, and the University of Alabama.
Carlos Enrique's ceramic sculptures and installations are among his most notable works. He has gained considerable recognition for his accomplishments in the field of ceramics, having won multiple awards at Ceramics Biennials and having his works featured in collections at major museums, including the National Museum of Ceramics of Havana and the Ceramics Research Center at the ASU Art Museum in Arizona. His clay works have been displayed in multiples solo and group exhibitions and have been published in art books and art magazines. As a ceramic artist, Prado also possesses a comprehensive technical background and is skilled in all aspects of ceramic construction techniques, as well as proficient in operating all the necessary equipment and processes in an artistic ceramic studio.
Carlos' latest work, inspired by classical sculptures, are created through the use of digital construction and ceramic printing. While he had previously created ceramic sculptures that incorporated elements from classical statues, his adoption of digital modeling technology has allowed him to create a larger body of work with more intricate designs. In particular, Prado has effectively employed the clay 3D printing technology, which is still relatively new, pushing the boundaries of ceramics beyond the traditional techniques and the current standards.
His public artworks are another important area in which Carlos Enrique has gained significant recognition, which include notable projects such as the monument to Dulce Maria Loynaz, commissioned by the City of Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Islands, Spain, and the President Reagan equestrian monument, commissioned by Miami-Dade County for the Tropical Park, Miami, Florida. One of the most recent finished large-scale public sculptures is the Medley City Hall monument "Rising Above the Horizon", located in the Town of Medley, Florida. His public artworks have established him as a prominent figure in the field of public art.
In addition to the public portrait monuments mentioned earlier, Prado has also created numerous portrait busts for museums and private collectors. For example, he sculpted the busts of Alicia Alonso and Ernesto Lecuona for the Museum of Dance in Havana. Prado is known for his great ability to capture in his portraits not only the physical resemblance, but also the psychological essence of the subject. This attention to detail and depth makes his work highly valued by both owners and viewers alike.
For two decades, Carlos Enrique has been a professor of sculpture and ceramics, teaching a range of courses, including studio practice for art majors, figure sculpting, drawing, and various levels and techniques of ceramics. He has also supervised and advised students on their diploma and served on numerous thesis committees. Over the years, he also has organized and curated many student shows. Prado started his teaching career at ISA University of the Arts of Cuba, where he worked for 10 years and achieved the rank of assistant professor. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer of ceramics at the University of Miami in Florida. In addition to teaching at these institutions, he has taught multiple courses and demonstration classes at other universities, such as Midwestern State University and the University of Mary Washington in the USA, as well as The Royal University College of Arts in Sweden. While at ISA University of Art of Cuba, Enrique served as head of the sculpture department at the School of Visual Arts, which encompassed areas such as 3D design, ceramics, wood and stone carving, architectural design, metalwork, and bronze casting.
Carlos remains dedicated to both his artistic practice and his role as a professor. He strongly believes that art should be connected to the needs of society, which is why he is currently exploring ways to integrate his artistic and teaching careers with the idea of service. This commitment to service has become an important objective of his work, and he continues to pursue opportunities to create meaningful connections between his art, his teaching, and the broader community.
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Artist Statement
As an artist, I express my creativity through the juxtaposition of recycled elements that have been previously used in art. These elements may include objects or motifs that have been represented in earlier works of art, or even specific modes of artistic representation themself. By combining and recontextualizing these elements, I create unique and innovative compositions that reflect my artistic vision and challenge traditional notions of artistic creation.
One of the primary elements that I frequently incorporate into my work is the human body, which reflects my interest in an anthropological perspective. However, this anthropological interest is channeled through the act of recycling emblematic representations of the human figure from various periods in art history, with a particular focus on the ancient Greco-Roman tradition. In a way, my aim is to challenge the established Western aesthetic paradigm by resignifying and recontextualizing its historical symbols of power, now handled as empty visual resources. In my works, I often reuse these historical motifs, transforming them from objects originally created to be placed on a pedestal, somehow, into pedestals themselves. Through this artistic process, I intend to subvert traditional notions of artistic authority and question the inherent power dynamics associated with historical visual resources.
As a Cuban, I often find myself viewed as "the other" by Western culture. However, I also see Western culture as "the other" in my own perspective. When I incorporate Western European influences into my work, I sometimes feel a sense of detachment that allows me to strip away their sacredness and impregnate them with new meaning in different contexts. Somehow, I can perceive a parallel between my practice and how Picasso incorporated African Masks into his artwork. Additionally, through this recycling process, I engage in a dialogue with my own experiences as an immigrant, constantly reinventing myself and rising above past versions of who I used to be, much like standing atop a pile of old selves. This dynamic of embracing and reinterpreting cultural influences resonates deeply with my personal journey.
To advance my efforts in integrating the legacy of art history into my artistic creations, I have expanded my endeavors by employing digital modeling techniques and the clay 3D printing. Computer modeling technology gives me broader artistic possibilities, including the opportunity to incorporate and manipulate digital models made from original ancient artworks, the ability to design more complex compositions and assemblages, and the capacity to preserve the integrity of the quoted references.
Therefore, I believe that these new technological processes enable me to achieve a significant shift in my role as an artist regarding artwork production. Rather than being a creator, I see myself as an assembler of recycled elements from art history. More broadly, I perceive that art communicates through the repository of previously crafted images, just as ideas expressed in our language are articulated through references to previously formulated ones. As a result, I feel that my purpose is to serve as a translator or channel in the autonomous process of artistic production's development.
Occasionally, the content of my works is also influenced by direct references to my personal experiences. Life's journey is filled with unexpected episodes and situations, where the feeling of being a pawn in a larger game can be overwhelming. These moments often find their way into my artwork, both directly and indirectly, serving as catalysts for analogies and parables.
Overall, my artistic practice involves reusing and resignifying visual elements to provoke critical reflection and challenge established norms, inviting viewers to reconsider their perception of art and its historical representations.
Carlos Enrique Prado, 2022
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