ABOUT WMP

Wilay Méndez Páez (Cuba, 1982) is an Afro-Cuban artist whose work explores everyday present life and human connections. He mainly works sculpture and collage and all of his pieces are made from recycled materials. For example, he recuperates the metal from old cars and he scrapes out pieces of deteriorated walls in Havana as well as in other parts of the island and of the world. 

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Born and raised in Cuba, Wilay’s work has been included in several shows in Havana city, such as at the Havana Biennale (2015), at Moderna Gallery with a solo show (2016), at Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño (Galería Luz y Oficio) in three group shows (in 2012, 2018, and 2019), as well as in other cities of the island, such as in Santiago de Cuba at the African Cultural Center Fernando Ortiz (2018). Wilay’s work has been also brought abroad in several exhibits, such as in Munich, Germany (Atelierhaus Dachauer Straße, 2016), in the United States (Seattle, ArtXchange Gallery, 2017), and in England (Studio ExPurgamento, London, 2019). In Atlanta, where he currently lives, he periodically has shows, among which: a solo show at GerART Gallery in September 2019, a solo show at AUC Woodruff Library in October 2019, a group show at Murphy Rail Studios in November 2019, a solo show at Day and Night Project in August 2020, a group show of Latino artists in Georgia at MOCA.GA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia) in Oct-Dec. 2020, a show at the Atlanta Contemporary (Sept. 18, 2021 - Jan. 9, 2022), and a show at CAUAM - Clark Atlanta University Art Museum (Oct. 6, 2021 - June 2022). He is currently an artist-in-residence at Clark Atlanta University Art Museum (CAUAM).

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