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The Cuban artist Eduardo Roca Salazar, universally known as "Choco", passed away this Thursday in Havana at the age of 76, as reported by the National Council of Plastic Arts (CNAP) through its Facebook page.
"Sad news, on the morning of April 16, Eduardo Roca Salazar, our Choco, National Prize for Plastic Arts and a significant figure in Cuban culture, has passed away," communicated the CNAP, which conveyed its condolences to family, friends, and admirers of his work.
Born in Santiago de Cuba on October 13, 1949, Choco trained at the School for Art Instructors, where he graduated in 1965, and at the National Art School in 1970.
Later, he pursued studies at the Faculty of Arts and Letters at the University of Havana, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Art History.
Since the mid-1970s, he worked at the Experimental Printmaking Workshop in Havana, located in the Plaza de la Catedral, where he developed and refined his primary technique: collography, a relief printing process that combines collage, recycled materials, acrylics, and natural pigments to create deep textures and effects of movement.
His work was marked by a profound Afro-Cuban symbolism, influenced by Yoruba mythology, Santería, and Afro-Caribbean roots, which granted him a unique position in both Cuban and international visual arts.
Throughout his career, he received accolades across several continents: the Medal of Honor at the Graphic Salon in Bulgaria in 1981, the First Prize for small format engraving in Galicia, Spain, in 1984, and the Grand Prize at the IV International Engraving Triennial in Kochi, Japan, in 1999.
In 2000, he also won the First Prize at the Kochi Print Biennale, and in 2017 he received the National Prize for Plastic Arts, the highest award granted by the CNAP and the Ministry of Culture of Cuba.
His work is part of the collections of the National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba, the Museum of Africa in Chicago, the Museum of Printmaking in Mexico, the Kochi Museum in Japan, and the Joan Miró Foundation in Palma de Mallorca.
He was a member of the National Council of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) and of the International Association of Visual Artists, and held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Cuba and abroad.
The UNEAC expressed its sorrow at his passing in a message that described him as "one of the great masters of Cuban visual art" and emphasized that "his work, marked by its expressive power and the cultural identity of our country, made him an indispensable reference in contemporary visual arts."
The passing of Choco occurs just weeks after the death of the also National Prize of Plastic Arts Ever Fonseca, which took place on March 29 at the age of 87, making this period one of particular mourning for Cuban plastic arts.
The UNEAC concluded its tribute with a phrase that encapsulates the significance of his legacy: "His departure grieves the artistic community and the nation, but his work will remain a living testament to the creativity and sensitivity that marked his distinction."
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