José Gabriel Capaz (b. 1988, Cuba) is a Cuban visual artist whose practice is rooted in painting, through which he investigates systems of power, social behavior, and the psychological tensions embedded within contemporary Cuban life. His work reflects on structures of control, collective dynamics, and the subtle frictions between individual agency and imposed order, constructing visual narratives that oscillate between irony, unease, and critical introspection.
Capaz emerged within the context of Havana’s experimental art scene as a founding member of the collective STAINLESS (2010–2017), a platform that fostered collaborative strategies and alternative modes of exhibition-making. Following this period, he developed an independent practice that maintains a strong engagement with both local and international contexts, exploring painting as a space where symbolic language, gesture, and materiality converge to question dominant cultural and political frameworks.
His works frequently employ layered compositions and ambiguous figuration, drawing attention to processes of fragmentation, repetition, and distortion. Through these strategies, Capaz constructs images that challenge fixed readings, inviting viewers to navigate unstable terrains where meaning is continuously negotiated. His practice situates itself within broader conversations around post-socialist realities, global circulation, and the shifting conditions of artistic production in Cuba and beyond.
Capaz studied at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts (2010) and later obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Higher Institute of Art (ISA), Havana (2011–2015). He has received notable international support, including scholarships and residencies from the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, New York (2014); Rockefeller Brothers Fund in collaboration with Pioneer Works, New York (2017); Vermont Studio Center (2022); Casa Wabi (2024); and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (2026).
Recent and selected solo exhibitions include Inminencia, Mestre Projects, Bahamas (2025); Montaña Humana, Plataforma2, Barcelona (2022); La Extracción, Galería Servando, Havana (2021); Ataraxia, Galería Casa 8, Havana (2020); Sedición, Casa de México, Havana (2019); Sistema Vulgar, collateral exhibition of the 15th Havana Biennial (2019); and En el Monte, Pioneer Works, New York (2019). Earlier presentations include Emotionless, Proyecto Medellín, Mexico City (2017), and Una Mente Caótica, The Studios of Key West (2015).
His work has been featured in major public and international contexts, including the Havana Biennial (2012, 2015), and exhibited at institutions such as the Freize Museum, Berlin, and Casa de México, Havana. Capaz’s work is held in prominent public and private collections, including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation Collection, New York; the Gilbert Brownstone Foundation, Paris; the Chrysler Museum, Virginia; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Los Angeles, among others.