«Every photograph is an act of appropriation and transformation.»

Néstor Martí

Néstor Martí Delgado, La Habana, 1973

Néstor Martí is a Cuban photographer based in Havana. He graduated in 1997 from the University of Havana with a B.A. in Art History. Between 1993 and 2008, he pursued further studies in photography, advertising, fashion, and journalism.

Since his graduation, Martí has worked as a photographer for the Office of the City’s Historian (Oficina del Historiador de La Ciudad, O.H.C.), where he has built a comprehensive career, covering photojournalism, architectural and heritage photography, urban landscapes, and portraiture. His work has been featured in numerous books and publications by Boloña, the publishing house of O.H.C., and he has also collaborated with other publishers like Arte Cubano and I.C.L., as well as recording studios such as EGREM and Bismusic.

In parallel to his professional assignments, Martí has developed his personal artistic vision, participating in collective and solo exhibitions at prestigious photographic institutions both in Cuba and internationally. He is an active member of UNEAC (National Union of Writers and Artists) and the ACCS (Social Advertising Association). His work can be found in private collections in Cuba, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Argentina, Brussels and the U.S.

In 2011, he published the book Old Havana / La Habana Vieja: Spirit of the Living City (Alabama University Press), followed by Havana Modern: 20th Century Architecture and Interiors in 2014 (Rizzoli). In 2020, he co-authored Vedado: Tradición y Modernidad en la Arquitectura Habanera with Dr. Madeline Menéndez (Ediciones Boloña). His photographs have also been featured in renowned anthologies such as La Seducción de la Mirada: Fotografía del cuerpo en Cuba by Rafael Acosta and The Light in the Cuban Eyes by Madeleine Plonsker, which were exhibited at the Robert Mann Gallery and at The AIPAD Photography Show in NYC.

Statement

For me, photography is a way to explore my experiences, feelings, and ideas; an approach to the dynamic between the outside world and my subjectivity, a subversion of reality through that subjectivity. «Every photograph is an act of appropriation and transformation», where what is external becomes internal, and the personal reshapes the world around me. Sometimes, reality surprises me with an image that transcends the moment; at times, that reality is transformed from within. My work moves between the acceptance and the questioning of tradition and photographic styles.

A Selection of Exhibitions

  • 2025 — L’Art Deco à La Havane, solo exhibition, Gallerie Halles Saint Géry, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 2025 — 100 años de Art Déco: de Bruselas a La Habana, solo exhibition, Nodo Habana, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2025 — Cada uno a lo suyo, group exhibition, Galería Jeff Art Plus, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2025 — Papas Cubanos, solo exhibition, Nodo Habana, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2024 — Dibujando Circulos, group exhibition, central exhibition at the FOTOCANIMAR Festival, Matanzas, Cuba.
  • 2023 — Des traces d’Art nouveau à La Havane (Vol. III), solo exhibition, Gallerie Halles Saint Géry, Brussels, Belgium.
  • 2022 — Huellas del Art Nouveau (Vol. II), solo exhibition, Vitrina de Valonia, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2021 — Desde otra óptica, group exhibition, Palacio del Conde de Lombillo, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2016 — Cuba: It’s Not All Black and White, group exhibition, A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA.
  • 2016 — Fuerza y sangre, imaginarios de la bandera en el arte cubano, group exhibition, Pabellón Cuba, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2016 — La madre de todas las artes, group exhibition, Wifredo Lam Center, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2015 — Sistemas Degenerados, two-person exhibition, Galería Entresuelo, Palacio de Lombillo, 12th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2015 — Soy lo que quieras ver, group exhibition, Zona Franca, San Carlos de La Cabaña, 12th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2015 — The Light in the Cuban Eyes, The AIPAD Photography Show, Armory, NYC, USA.
  • 2015 — The Light in the Cuban Eyes, group exhibition, Robert Mann Gallery, Chelsea, NYC, USA.
  • 2014–2015 — En Blanco y Negro, solo exhibition, ArtPub, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2012–2013 — Mares Adyacentes, solo exhibition, Galería Mezanine, Palacio de Lombillo, Plaza de La Catedral, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2012 — Pensando desde el paisaje, group exhibition, Landscape Event, Casa Museo Oswaldo Guayasamín, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2011 — La seducción de la mirada, fotografía del cuerpo en Cuba: 1920–2010, group exhibition, III Jornada Fotográfica Latinoamericana, Centro Hispanoamericano de Cultura, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2010 — Side by Side, two-person exhibition, Smith Hall, University of Alabama, Alabama, USA.
  • 2009 — Side by Side, two-person exhibition, Galería Julio Larramendi, Hotel Conde de Villa Nueva, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2008 — Luz en el recinto, two-person exhibition, Centro Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 2006 — To Have Control, performance art, Pabellón Cuba, 9th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2005 — La luz de La Habana, solo exhibition, Convento de San Francisco, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2005 — Feria de arte contemporáneo de San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.
  • 2003 — IN-OUT, solo exhibition, Casa Museo Simon Bolívar, collateral event, 8th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2003 — Resonancias, group exhibition, Casa Museo de Asia, collateral event, 8th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2001 — Entrópicos, group exhibition, Centro Cultural de España, Havana, Cuba.
  • 2001 — III Salón de fotografía contemporánea, Fototeca de Cuba, Havana, Cuba.
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