Rafael Miranda San Juan (Cuban, b. 1973), Paraiso

Rafael Miranda San Juan (Cuban, b. 1973)

Paraiso, 2018

Stainless Steel & Mild Steel; unique

400cm high, 180cm wide, 185cm deep

On view at: The Sculpture Park

Rafael San Juan refers to his monumental steel heads as 'Numens', which translates loosely to 'divinity' or 'divine presence' from the Latin. Though shaped and soldered from hard strips of forged, recycled steel, the soft and tranquil appearance of the present lot aligns with this otherworldly description. San Juan was educated at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts, Havana, where he later also taught as a Professor of Sculpture. His works are widely exhibited and collected in Mexico, Cuba and the United States. One of his monumental female heads was for example featured in the Havana Biennial, another graces the streets of Guadalajara, Mexico, where the artist also lives and works. The dramatic size of San Juan's works, and sensitive attention to the human form, betray San Juan's educational background in disciplines as varied as stage design and anatomy