Many of the artists at CONTEXT may have thrown their paintbrushes and canvas to the winds, but there are still a few who work in traditional materials but with a contemporary twist, as they bridge across the two.

One, from nearby Cuba, is Ruben Alpizar (born 1965) with the Estudio Arte Contemporaneo brings his traditional training and indeed images of the old Masters themselves and, even further back, prehistoric cave drawings into new settings including the Ark, old buildings with faded rendered walls (and modern surveillance cameras) and a Tower of Babel. Old and new are blended together as he playfully fudges the distinction between canvases for art and for the urban scene.  Each has a fascinating story to explore, merging different cultures from different periods – indeed Alpizar combines storytelling and art and his work reflects a little on Cuba itself as a melting pot of different cultures over the years.