I looked up when I heard the laughter of a man and a little girl. I recognized them as a young father and his daughter.
As I watched the balcony in front of me, I found myself fascinated by it. It almost looked like a piece of fabric, the kind from which a beautiful dress could be made.
Once again, I was struck by how Cuba, even in its most remote corners, along its darkest and most dilapidated streets, continued to offer me "La bellezza en lo feo”.
---
Walking along a deserted street lined with large, shabby buildings, I suddenly found myself staring at a balcony. Somehow, it brought me back to the sea.
Within that sea-green color, I saw the memory of other moments, other years, when I swam in the beautiful waters of Cuba. Unexpectedly, that sea seemed to emerge here as well.
For a moment, it felt as if the sea had appeared within the sea itself.
---
In late May 2026, I am in Cuba, outside the hospital where my brother is hospitalized. It is a country I have known for thirty years, yet I have never seen it like this: burdened by shortages of water, electricity, and gas, under an oppressive heat.
At a certain moment, I find myself facing an image that seems unreal: worlds, planets made of light. I am completely captivated by it and I take a photograph.
That moment marks the beginning of this project.
As I continue to observe what surrounds me, I begin to see beauty where I least expect it. Amid decay, hardship, and the struggles of everyday life, I still encounter color, life, laughter, and humanity.
La belleza en lo feo was born from this gaze: the search for beauty where it would seem impossible to find it.
