Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Sosa.
Hi Evelyn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been taking photographs since I was very young. I always had a camera with me and documented everything I did, including my friends. I studied engineering, but after graduating from university, I never practiced it. That’s when I began working professionally as a photographer. I’m self-taught, although I participated in some workshops in Havana. In 2016, after winning a photography competition, I had my first solo exhibition, and since then, exhibitions and projects have followed.
In 2019, Uncommon Beauty Gallery published my book “Havana Intimate: Through the Lens of Evelyn Sosa,” which is still available on Artsy. Then, in 2022, I was awarded a scholarship to the International Center of Photography in New York, where I graduated from the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program. More recently, I opened “No Place Is Far Away,” my first solo exhibition in Miami, at Mahara+Co Gallery. After the show, my work became part of Jorge and Darlene Pérez’s collection at El Espacio 23.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been an easy path. Starting with the fact that I was born in Cuba and come from a poor family, the journey has required a great deal of effort and determination. From acquiring a decent camera to producing exhibitions, speaking in material terms, everything in Cuba, which is not a normal country, becomes more complicated. Not coming from an art school also meant I had to work even harder to be seen and taken seriously by curators and art spaces.
At one point, I was excluded in Cuba because of my way of thinking and for publishing photographs of what was happening, like the demonstration on November 27th. Getting to study in New York was an odyssey. I had to do so many things that I won’t even try to list them all. There are always obstacles of every kind, but I believe that when you love what you do, you always find a way to keep going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a photographer. I do portraits, documentary photography, and a bit of almost everything. My series “Women’s Portraits” brings together the work I did from 2011 to 2022, photographing women in Havana. I’m considering resuming this series here in Miami.
Right now, I’m working on my project No Place Is Far Away, which is essentially an archive of Cuban migration, told through the objects people took with them when they emigrated.
I’m proud of all my work. I love my photos.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I believe consistency is one of the most important things in art, and also in life. There are ups and downs, good days and bad days, but staying consistent makes all the difference. It’s also essential to trust yourself, even when everything seems to be against you. Sometimes, you just have to follow what you feel you need to do and believe in it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://evelynsosa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evelyn._.sosa?igsh=NHMyd25zbnB0MjBo
