Yoan Capote Yoan Capote
(b. Pinar del Río, Cuba 1977)
Lives and works in Havana, Cuba
New Man, 2014, handcuffs, bronze, and stainless steel
Collection of Dr. Robert B. Feldman
Yoan Capote titles his artworks before he creates them to present the most effective concept of contrasting themes, opening discussions of opposing ideas. He often merges inorganic objects with organic human forms as in New Man. Bronze cast human vertebral bodies are smashed in between stacked handcuffs, which echo the form and add to the spinal curvature in place of cartilage, hung as though it was a true anatomical specimen for study by an artist or scientist. Living and working in his native Cuba, Capote is interested in notions of power structures. Here, a tool of arrest is establishing the backbone of humanity. What might be a source of comfort and protection for some might be a source of pain, aging, grinding, and prosecution for others. This backbone upholds the laws of the land, be they in a dictatorship or a democracy.