# Francis Acea

Francis Acea (né Abel Santiago Francis Acea; born 1967) is an artist, publisher, designer, and serial entrepreneur known for his inspiration by what The Language of Objects in the Art of the Americas describes as "the often anonymous creations of provisional art." Along with other artists, also inspired by the provisional art movement in Cuba, made the collective Ordo Amoris Cabinet. Acea is a graduate of the Havana Superior Institute of Design. As of 2024, Acea lives between Miami and New York City. Acea has exhibited internationally, solo and group, and currently performs as President of One Sun Media, publishing online and in print.

## Biography

Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1967, Francis Acea is a multifaceted artist, Publisher, Designer, and serial entrepreneur whose explorations span various media and special interests, including painting, installation, photography and art objects. Central to Acea's artistic inquiry is the intersection of art and economics, particularly the dynamics of the Art Market. As of 2024, Acea lives and works between New York, NY and Florida, FL.

## Online artworks

* 2022 – Found Objects Financial history in the making. Found Objects is an NFT collection made of photographs of found coins.
* 2022 – Prohibido Olvidar (Coca Cola del Olvido) Forbidden to Forget is a work that invites to cultivate and preserve the historical memory of the Cuban Exiles.

## Solo art exhibitions

* 2015 – Black Diamonds: New Works by Francis Acea. Merton D. Simpsom, 2015, New York.
* 2010 – No Money, No Glory. Holster Projects , London, UK. 2010
* 2008 – D.B.A Joe. Panamerican Art Projects , Miami, FL. 2008.
* 2007 – D.B.A nobody. Kunsthaus Miami , Miami. 2007.
* 2007 – D.B.A Francis Acea. Magnan Emrich Contemporary , NY.
* 2006 – Safety Box. PM Gallery. Miami, FL.
* 2003 – Reality. Karpio+Facchini Gallery. Miami, FL
* 2002 – Sweet Home. Espacio Aglutinador. Havana, Cuba
* 2001 – Mousepads and Screensavers. ArtPace, San Antonio, Tx
* --- Summer Days. Frehrking Wiesehöfer Gallery, Köln, Germany
* 2000 – A day like any other day. 7th Havana Biennale. 2000
* --- Living la vida. Sinpalabras' studio. Havana, Cuba. 2000
* 1999 – This is a Provisional Fence. Keep Out. Center for the Development of the Visual Arts, Havana
* 1998 – Antennas: Network transmission / Taxi Limosina. Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst , Aachen / Kunsthaus Berlin, Germany. 1998
* 1997 – Hiking Raffle. Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada
* --- Reinforced Concrete. Center for the Development of the Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba. 1997.
* 1996 – Sugar-water and the Provisional Show. Center for the Development of the Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba. Museo de Arte Contemporaneo y Diseno (MACD), San Jose, Costa Rica.
* 1995 – Una de Cada Clase. Next generation show. Center of Art and Design. Havana. Cuba. 1995
* 1991 – Cuatro acentos para una exhibicion. Casa del Joven Creador, Havana, Cuba.
* 1990 – Nunca nadie muere. Posters. Ernest Hemingway Museum. Havana, Cuba.

## Group art exhibitions

* 2017 - The object and the image (This is not a chair either), Concrete Space Projects, Miami, US
* 2014 - Iconomania. Merton D. Simpson Gallery, 2014, New York.
* 2012 - Every Exit Is An Entrance: 30 Years of Exit Art. NY 2012.
* 2010 - smART. Freedom Tower. Miami, US. 2010.
* 2010 - Past is History, Future is Mystery. Freedom Tower. Miami, US. 2010.
* 2010 - A sense of place. Carol Jazzar Contemporary. Miami, US. 2010.
* 2009 – Gods and Rituals. Holster Projects , London, UK. 2009
* --- Primary Colors. Panamerican Art Projects , Miami, FL. 2009.
* 2008 – AURUM, Gold in contemporary Art Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine, Centre PasquArt , Biel Bienne, Switzerland. 2008
* 2007 – Killing Time: An exhibition of Cuban artists from the 1980s to the present Archived 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine. Exit Art, Exit Art Underground. NY. 2007
* 2006 – PULSE ART Featured Artist Installation. Miami, FL, US. 2006
* --- Moving Image. Alonso Art. Miami, FL, US. 2006
* 2003 – Stretch. Power Plant Gallery, Toronto, Canada. 2003
* --- With eyes of stone and Water. Exhibition on tour.
* --- Gallery 3,14., Norway. 2004.
* --- Ciurlionis National Art Museum, Lithuania, 2003.
* 2002 – With eyes of stone and Water. Helsinki City Art Museum (Tennis Palace), Helsinki, Finland. 2002
* --- La Huella Multiple. International Engravers exhibition, Havana, Cuba. 2002.
* --- FITAC. VIII Foro Internacional de Teoría de Arte Contemporáneo. 2002
* --- Prophets of Boom. Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden. 2002
* --- Suspended Animation. Karpio+Facchini Gallery, Miami, FL, US. 2002
* --- Atravesados. Fundación Telefónica, Madrid, Spain. 2002
* 2001 – I'm Cuba / Double Play. Tirana Biennale. Tirana, Albany. 2001
* --- Short Stories. Fabbrica del Vappore Art Center, Milan, Italy. 2001
* 2000 – La conjuncion de la nada. Center for the Development of the Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba. 2000.
* 1999 – Cuba presente! Barbican Centre, London, UK. 1999
* 1998 – Thinking Aloud. Hayward Gallery. Exhibition on tour.
* --- Candem Art Centre, London, UK. 1999
* --- Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, UK. 1998
* --- Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK. 1998
* --- Entropy at home. Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, Germany. 1998
* --- The campaign against living miserably. Royal College of Art, London, UK. 1998
* 1997 – The Russian Mountain. Troisieme Manifestation Internationale Video et Art Electronique. Champ Libre, Montreal, Canada. 1997
* 1995 – Una de cada clase. Next Generation Show. Art and Design Centre, Havana, Cuba. 1995
* 1991 – Salon 150 Anniversary of Cuban Photography. IV Havana Biennial.
* 1989 – Salon Construcción de la imagen fotográfica. III Bienal de La Habana, Fototeca de Cuba.
* 1988 – Revolution by Design. Art & Design College. London, UK.
* 1987 – Salon de la Nueva Imagen Fotografica. Asociacion Hermanos Saiz. Havana, Cuba.

## Awards

* Bacardi 150 Anniversary Cuban Artist Series. 2011
* Cubadisco Award. Nominated Best Design. 2002 (Ernán López-Nussa - From Havana to Rio)
* Cubadisco Award. Nominated Best Design. 2001 (All Stars - La Rumba Soy Yo)
* Cubadisco Award. Best Design. 2009 (Sinpalabras - Orisha Dreams)
* 01.3 ArtPace International Artist in Residency. San Antonio, Tx, US. 2001
* Ludwig Stiftung für Kunst und Internationale Verständigung, Aachen, Germany. 1998
* Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada. 1997

## Books

* Sullivan, Edward J. The Language of Objects in the Art of the Americas. Yale University Press. 2007.
* Linda Pace, Jan Jarboe, Eleanor Heartney. Dreaming Red, Creating ArtPace. 2003
* Atravesados, Deslizamientos de identidad y genero. Fundacion Telefónica, May 2003.
* Prophets of Boom. Staaliche Kunsthalle Baden Baden. Baden Baden, Germany. 2002.