My name is Francisco Cabas and I would like to introduce you to my work. My paintings are visual narratives that resonate with multiple layers of meaning and capture viewers unexpectedly. Self-reflective fascination is evident in my work. Yet, my paintings are poignant statements charged with social and cultural commentary. Through the combination of multiple layers of meaning, powerful imagery, and classical iconography, my work embodies a visual manifestation of the Latin American literary tradition of magical realism.
I attended the prior to my enrollment at Brown University in 2003. My decision to transfer into an academic program came out of my experience working as a counselor for Steppingstone Summer Camp. The main objective of Camp was to provide a safe space for children affected by HIV and AIDS. I had always believed that HIV and AIDS didn’t discriminate against anybody. However, at Camp, the strong correlation between social class, race, ethnicity, and HIV infection showed me otherwise. Our campers were mostly American ethnic minorities, children of low-income single-parent households. My education have also given me a very effective theoretical framework through which I was finally able to understand the social and political systems that shaped my own life. Thus, the initial interest that drove me to deepen my knowledge of the social factors that had affected the lives of my campers, eventually led me to understand how my own life had been shaped by homophobia. HomophobiaHomo is one of the most pervasive manifestations of social exclusion in our society. Understanding the impact that homophobia has had on my life is an ongoing process reflected in my most recent body of paintings called The Imaginary Self, which has also been influenced by my work with people whose lives have been desecrated by sexual exploitation, abuse, negligence, and social exclusion.