My work strives to reveal the aim of certain mechanisms of power that seek to “present” facts in a seemingly realistic, neutral, and objective way. Because my work is steeped in context, it contains a strong ethical component as well as pronounced elements of socio-political criticism. Cuba is the main frame of reference for my artistic work, which does not necessarily imply that the problems I tackle are endemic to the island. Day after day, I file images from the press, magazines, and history books. These sources are my main artistic point of reference, but this visual bank I draw from also contains some of my own photos, taken in the streets or at my studio. My creative method is to recycle all this material, using it ready-made, quoting from it or making a parody of it, depending on the specific idea behind each particular series or work. My artistic approach involves, on the one hand, a deconstruction of representation techniques that make reality something tangible and accessible. On the other hand, I unearth fragments buried by history. In short, all my work is realist, and it belongs to a new Realism. It is based on the way we “look” at things, as something to ponder and as a source for material. The main purpose of my art is to redirect this way of “looking,” that is, this gamut of visual habits that condition our worldview. My work, ostensibly realist, is deeply realist. -José Toirac