RD

Raúl Delgado

a colonial-era tenement in Havana, Cuba

Raúl Delgado, a 46-year-old pawnshop owner, has made a home above his modest shop in the heart of Havana. With a pebble in his pocket from each place he's called home, he cherishes the sense of roots his shop provides, amid fears of instability. His days are filled with the characters of the barrio, secret whispers of bartered objects, and on hot days, the strange comfort of metallic hose water—a taste he translates into the vibrancy of his art.

Tense Art

About

Obsession

The metallic taste of hose water on sweltering days

Voice

Metallic tang, dense humidity, fragile peace

Artistic Medium

Small painted tiles mirroring pebbles

Technique

Layering and singeing with a lighter

Influences

Havana's bustling pawnshops, the texture of sun-faded shutters, pebbles gathered from travels

Materials

Cigar box of pebbles, half-spent lighters, saved watch faces

Scale

Palm-sized tiles, like smooth stones

Selected 0 times

Commissioned Works

"City's Tense Transition"

May 25, 2026 · tense