CubaPLUS Magazine

Jeff and his famous elephants

By: Cubaplus Magazine
Feb 13, 2023
Jeff and his famous elephants

When passing through the Miramar Business Center (MTC) plaza, the first thing that catches the attention of the passerby is a herd of 12 life-size metal elephants that welcome everyone who comes there.

Jeff and his famous elephantsThese inflated metal sculptures and works of the plastic artist José Emilio Fuentes Fonseca (JEFF) have their history.In 2009, for the 10th Havana Biennial, they toured various places in the Cuban capital, including Plaza Vieja, the Capitol Gardens, and University Hill, among others, until they reached their final destination at the MTC.

Born in the eastern province of Granma, just over 4 decades ago, JEFF has to his credit numerous personal and collective exhibitions inside and outside the country: Spain, Denmark, France, the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, among others.He has been the recipient of various awards and recognitions for his work and many of his works are in around twenty collections in multiple nations.

Jeff and his famous elephantsDuring the pandemic, this artist, committed to his time, undertook the task of rescuing an abandoned space located on Calles 14 between 11 and 13 in the capital's neighborhood of El Vedado where it can be said, he created the private world.

There he built a space that functions as a cultural center, where his sculptures are exhibited and have a bar-grill Coco Blue and La Zorra Pelúa where, in addition to a menu with traditional Cuban dishes -almost all cooked on charcoal- downloads are offeredmusic, especially jazz.

This space was created with great love by this artist whose dream is to help the development of young entrepreneurs. Regarding this, he has declared that his interest is to promote cultural development, invite people who can be part of his works.

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