Miguel Saludes (b. Havana, Cuba, 1989) In 2010, he graduated from Miami-Dade College before attaining his Bachelor degrees in Painting and Art History at Florida International University in 2012, eventually completing his visual arts education at the University of Florida in 2016. After having lived in his new adopted home for twelve years, Saludes is still defined by a Caribbean accent and mannerisms, which define him as a foreigner to the eyes and ears of many American nationals. Yet, having partially grown up in the United States, he struggles to relate to diverse aspects of his native culture. Through his open-field landscapes, on the other hand, he turns to contemplate and pictorially represent the larger picture that his adoptive nation encompasses. Saludes’ most recent paintings honor the landscape of his home state of Florida, which the artist now scrutinizes with a sensibility akin to his Cuban artistic forefathers, as they once saw and idealized the Cuban countryside. He is the recipient of several awards and has participated in more than 30 exhibitions.