Orlando Almanza (b. 1989, Las Tunas, Cuba) pulls us into his dreamworld of memory, myth and real life experiences with ethereal landscapes, portraits and storytelling. His stories take place in the natural world where figures and spirits are intertwined with plants, animals and light. The interconnectedness of his work points to the artist's thoughtful observation of nature, and the unique way he connects with myths, family and friends, storytelling and nostalgia. Almanza’s narratives readily reach back through his current American life to the Taíno cosmology of his homeland Cuba.
In 2022, Almanza presented a solo exhibition titled “Born by the River'' at Soapbox Arts Gallery in Burlington, Vermont as well as a solo exhibition titled “Un Laberinto en el Estómago de un Cocodrilo” (A labyrinth in the stomach of a crocodile) at ONA Galeria in Havana, Cuba. Since joining Froelick Gallery in 2022, the gallery has held several solo exhibitions of his works, all reflecting on his childhood growing up along the Yaquimo River, the Cuban countryside and his adult life in Havana.
Orlando Almanza received his Bachelor of Arts in Printmaking at Superior Institute of Arts in Havana, Cuba. He later became Assistant Professor of Printmaking there, and eventually achieved the job of studio assistant to esteemed Cuban artist, Carlos Quintana. Recent honors include painting acquisitions by the City of Portland’s public art collection; The Hood Museum, Dartmouth College; and two large-scale commissions for Hacienda CDC’s Dolores Building, Hillsboro, OR. In summer 2026 he was a Vermont Studio School Artist in Residence, he teaches year-round painting and drawing classes at the Oregon Art Center in SW Portland, plus annual workshops at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Neskowin, OR,. Orlando Almanza resides and works in Portland, Oregon.