A video posted on Instagram by digital creator, painter, editor, and filmmaker Carlos Batista (@carlosbatistastudio) has touched the hearts of thousands in the Spanish-speaking community.
This is an interview with the Cuban artist Ángel Jesús Concepción López. He talks about his life shaped by poverty, his unconditional love for art, and his determination to persevere despite the extreme hardships imposed by the crisis in Cuba.
The clip features one of the most striking testimonies about the reality faced today by many elderly artists and craftsmen in Cuba amidst the country's declining situation.
Jesús Concepción López describes his reality straightforwardly from the beginning of the video: "Sometimes I have to do something else because the situation is very difficult. Economically, we all have a very tough situation."
He shows his humble home, which he bought years ago and has been trying to repair, but the renovations are stalled. "The kitchen is just as you see it. The City Conservator has been helping me, but the work came to a standstill because there are no materials. That is the reality," he says.
"Despite this, I am happy. My art is with me; it is my companion. It is like the air you breathe. This is my life, and I embrace it with courage," he asserts with a serenity that disarmed those who listened to him.
His relationship with wood, his material of choice, is almost philosophical: "I hope that the wood tells me what it wants. It has its own face and it tells you what it can give."
Regarding his way of creating and surviving, he is equally direct: "I don’t work to sell, but I sell out of necessity. I never put a price on my things in my life."
The testimony of Jesús Concepción López is representative of a reality that crushes thousands of creators on the island. By the end of 2025, 89% of the Cuban population lived in extreme poverty and 70% went without at least one meal a day. The official average salary was barely 14 dollars a month at the informal exchange rate.
The audience's response to the video was overwhelming and supportive. Dozens of people asked how to donate money, purchase works, or send tools. Carlos Batista himself replied in the comments: "Anyone interested in helping can message me privately."
Among the comments that resonated the most, one summarized the general sentiment: "People who give up at 20, and this man dreaming and creating so many years later... it’s hard but inspiring." Another was shorter but equally profound: "Art is like faith; it keeps you going."
Jesús Concepción López concluded his testimony with the phrase that became the viral heart of the video: "Unfortunately, artists are almost always poor. Poor, but rich in love."
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