Meet Alaen Ledesma Fernandez

We recently connected with Alaen Ledesma Fernandez and have shared our conversation below.

Alaen , thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
My self-discipline comes from ballet. Without a doubt, taking ballet classes every morning at 9am for many, many years of my life gave me the self-discipline, responsibility and self-control that I have today. Now, although in a different way, I get up every day in the morning to do exercises with the weight of my body. I stretch and go for a little run. This is how my day and my routine begin in Key West, Florida, the beautiful island where I live

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Alaen Ledesma Fernández. I am a professional Cuban artist, trained on the island of Cuba: an emigrant who arrived on the island of Key West, United States, in 2014 with many dreams and desire to do. Director and creator of Studio Fine Cuban Art to Collect; always focused on the representation of Cuban artists, in the promotion and the visualization of their works; working at the same time in different galleries of the city with American and local artists. In close relation to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, I have held exhibitions in public and historic buildings in the city, and I’ve also worked and collaborated with different galleries in the Islamorada and Marathon keys. Likewise, I collaborate three months a year with the Florida Keys Historic & Discovery Museum in the display and collection of Cuban art..
Studios Fine Cuban Art to Collect represents the work of outstanding Cuban plastic artists who compete on the world stage, the most important art fairs, Art Basel, Biennials, and the main museums and galleries in the world representing the highest level of contemporary Cuban art. We work directly with the artist. On March 9, the largest show that I hold each year for the winter season in Key West, Florida, will be inaugurated. From March until the end of May, more than 30 works of art in large and medium formats, as well as magnificent bronze sculptures, will be displayed at the Ocean Sotheby’s Realty offices in Duval Square.

This has been a year of many challenges and a lot of work. I have also been appointed Secretary of the Cuban Diaspora Art Foundation; and, moreover, we are preparing great exhibitions for this year and next.

A preview is my next exhibition at the Islamorada Museum in late 2023 and early 2024, featuring famed Cuban artist Alicia Leal and the retrospective work of the legendary artist Zaida Del Rio, among many others.

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Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being a loving, passionate, and persevering person are three qualities that have always accompanied me hand in hand. Looking back, on the path have traveled during the last 9 years, I can say that I have always put a lot of passion and love into each of the art projects that I have carried out. Passion connects with your gifts and your talent, and with that you will get your mind free and develop new thoughts and new ideas. Everything can be achieved in life. The key is in faith, perseverance, and your self-confidence. No one will value us if we don’t value ourselves first.
….as Miguel de Cervantes said in his book Don Quixote, “since you are not experienced in the things of this world, all things that have some difficulty seem impossible to you”. Trust the time that usually brings a sweet outcome to many bitter difficulties.
I have been a persevering and passionate person about my work. There is nothing more important to me than Art. I have been surrounded by art all my life and I have a beautiful friendship relationship with the artists I have represented for years.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The biggest area of ​​growth for Studio fine Cuban Art to Collect in the last 12 months has been in the Islamorada area. Most of my exhibitions and art shows have taken place in this area thanks to the support of the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center Museum, Roberto Russel Galleries – with whom I have worked for 6 consecutive years, belonging to Ocean Sotheby’s Realty – and the gallery of my great friend Roberto Pasta, who has given me his hand in each of my presentations and has put a large part of his gallery at my dispositions in different presentations in Morada Way Art Cultural District for the promotion and visualization of Cuban art in this part of the keys. Thanks to all these presentations, Studio fine Cuban Art to Collect has been able to donate a large sum of money to the museum to go on with cultural and educational projects for the dissemination and collection of Cuban art in this area of ​​the Florida Keys.
I hope that for the next few years nstitutions such as The Studios of Key West in the city where I live in Key West take more into account my work and my artistic career and give me the opportunity to exhibit in their many galleries.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Debra Ferragamo Hayes

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