Artist Bio
Orlando Basulto Abreu is a humanist sculptor of Cuban origin born in 1968 and currently residing in Quebec, Canada. His sculptures in ceramic, porcelain, and bronze present an exquisite modeling where the natural and the surreal intertwine harmoniously, offering a multidimensional manneristic perspective.
There is a deep feeling of piety in his work, conveying themes of tolerance and respect for diversity, mainly through the journey of his 'homano' or 'human' character, a hand that walks, builds, caresses, assists, and supports.
After obtaining two degrees in visual arts in Cuba: in 1986 from the Regional Cultural Directorate of Las Tunas, and in 1991 from the Center for Higher Education in the same province, Orlando pursued his training by specializing in Art-Therapy at the Institute "Instruir" in Paris, France. For him, art has always served as a therapy, a means of escape, and an opportunity to recreate a world that was missing in his childhood. Orlando began his career as an art teacher before moving into interior design and later becoming a professional sculptor and ceramist. His studio and gallery, La Maison Basulto, are still in operation in Camagüey (Cuba). Finally, he moved to Canada, where he opened his OBA workshop in Rawdon, Quebec. In 2020, he launched an art therapy project for the elderly named 'Les doigts d'or'.
His work is represented in Canada and internationally by the associations, so he is a part. He is a member of the Canadian Society of Artists (SAC) in Toronto, the Institute of Figurative Art (IAF) in Quebec, the Mondial Art Academia (MAA) in France, and the Association of Artisans and Artists (ACAA) of Havana, Cuba. Moreover, he is the first Cuban to join the International Academy of Ceramics (AIC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Orlando has participated in fourteen solo exhibitions and more than seventy collective exhibitions, symposiums, and events. He received numerous international awards, including the Award for Artistic Expression presented by the Canadian Society of Artists in 2025; the Creative Innovation Award awarded by the Canadian Society of Artists in 2024; the Silver Diamond Art Medal of the Francesco Gonzaga Diocesan Museum in Mantua (Italy) in 2024; the Contemporary Art Award awarded by PitturiAmo and the Captaloona Art Gallery in Madrid, Spain, in 2023; the Recognition of Artistic Merit from the Pinacoteca du Musée du Luxembourg in 2022; the Cuban Association of Writers and Artists Award in Camagüey (2015); and the Excellence Award from the Museum of Fine Arts of Mont-St-Hilaire in Quebec, Canada (2013).