Born in Havana, Cuba, Peña knew cockroaches as a part of everyday life. But it was his grandfather, swatting away at bugs in the home that inspired his choice medium.
He studied art at the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana. He has been featured on the New York Times, The Miami Herald and through numerous galleries in Miami, Florida.
It is thought that Fabian Peña's art is representative of just the relationship people see cockroaches as. But, he says, there's more to it. He originally started using cockroaches for his art because of a lack of materials in Cuba. They were easier to find and free. He continues to use cockroaches because "they're cheaper than paint". According to Pena, fans and colleagues frequently drop off bags of cockroaches at his doorstep.
Peña often comments saying that he enjoys using cockroaches as a medium because they are just another embodiment of humans: always stuck in a rut and doing the same thing, an existential commentary on how our lives really are the same. Cockroaches in many cultures are seen as a pest (and many times they are), however, Pena's goal is to give a "new life" to them. Using dead bodies to create art is symbolic in it of itself. But creating beautiful art, from a "nasty bug" is representative of perception and the connection (or lack thereof) between insects and humans.
David Castillo, a gallery that has featured Peña since 2011 writes, "Peña harkens to the Shakespearean interpretation of a corporeal “pound of flesh,” acknowledging the somatic price for locating beauty in the grotesque." In addition, “I re-context these organic elements into significant objects that address existential matters,” adds Peña. “The questioning of the artwork as a cultural product happens through an image of death and resurrection. The viewer’s perception is relocated. It is a “re-awakening” to place the spectator in an ambiguous perceptual trap. The artwork becomes both a map and a detour.”
(References 3, 6)
He studied art at the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana. He has been featured on the New York Times, The Miami Herald and through numerous galleries in Miami, Florida.
It is thought that Fabian Peña's art is representative of just the relationship people see cockroaches as. But, he says, there's more to it. He originally started using cockroaches for his art because of a lack of materials in Cuba. They were easier to find and free. He continues to use cockroaches because "they're cheaper than paint". According to Pena, fans and colleagues frequently drop off bags of cockroaches at his doorstep.
Peña often comments saying that he enjoys using cockroaches as a medium because they are just another embodiment of humans: always stuck in a rut and doing the same thing, an existential commentary on how our lives really are the same. Cockroaches in many cultures are seen as a pest (and many times they are), however, Pena's goal is to give a "new life" to them. Using dead bodies to create art is symbolic in it of itself. But creating beautiful art, from a "nasty bug" is representative of perception and the connection (or lack thereof) between insects and humans.
David Castillo, a gallery that has featured Peña since 2011 writes, "Peña harkens to the Shakespearean interpretation of a corporeal “pound of flesh,” acknowledging the somatic price for locating beauty in the grotesque." In addition, “I re-context these organic elements into significant objects that address existential matters,” adds Peña. “The questioning of the artwork as a cultural product happens through an image of death and resurrection. The viewer’s perception is relocated. It is a “re-awakening” to place the spectator in an ambiguous perceptual trap. The artwork becomes both a map and a detour.”
(References 3, 6)
SkullsAs he explains, “My grandfather would swat insects…and their squashed remains made an impression on me. Later on in my work, I began giving bugs the possibility of commenting on man’s existential condition after their death.” Skulls are a common theme in Peña's art.
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fliesAlthough to a lesser extent, Pena also uses houseflies and other insects as a medium.
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globalSocial commentary is another common theme.
Cockroach wing fragments on a five Yuan Chinese bill |