Ricardo Maya’s work is described as “Showing the influence of realism without leaving realism, with a symbolic language to evoke a connection between memories and the present, playing the atemporal.” Maya, from Camaguey, Cuba, came to Nicaragua ten years ago because “the situation there was complicated. There is no freedom of expression. All I could have done in Cuba is teach.”

Maya, 36, lives in Granada where he has a gallery, ClaroOscuro. He is married with a daughter.

He paints in oil on canvas or paper, and sculpts in clay. “My works are stories told with symbols with meaning to me.” Women’s torsos, mixed with other images, are often an image in his work. “It’s not for sensuality. It represents the earth, because it is the part of the body that gives life. This also reflects the influence of Roman culture that has survived.” Maya also paints landscapes, which he says, “is a way to touch base.”