Karel Garcia

Karel Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba and is a mixed media artist whose work explores identity, vulnerability, and liberation through layered emotional narratives. Trained in fine art in Cuba, Karel developed a distinct visual language that blends surrealism and expressionism to confront the boundaries placed on personal and creative freedom.

In 2022, Karel left Cuba in search of a life where he could live openly as a gay man and artist. His journey toward freedom—both political and personal—is central to his work. Each piece is an act of reclamation: of voice, of self, and of the right to be seen without fear.

Working in oil, acrylic, charcoal, India ink, and gouache, Karel’s process is deeply intuitive. His figures, forms, and symbols carry a quiet intensity, shaped by memory and transformation. The works in Truth and Freedom mark a new chapter—a visual archive of the cost and beauty of becoming whole.

Karel is currently based in St. Petersburg, Florida, His practice continues to be rooted in truth-telling and a commitment to freedom as both subject and process.