The Artwork of the Cuban artist Yosan Leon is the cover of the new Pink Floyd single

An artwork by Cuban artist Yosan Leon illustrates the cover of the latest single from the British band Pink Floyd dedicated to Ukraine titled “Hey Hey Rise UP”.

“About 10 days ago, David Gilmour’s manager contacted me and told me that he was interested in using the image for his single,” Yosan Leon told reporters. CyberCuba.

The piece, entitled “The gaze of the sunflower”, is part of the series Confluence that the artist created in 2015 and which the flower was the main theme.

At the time of the release of the single, Leon wrote in an Instagram account: “Hey Hey Rise UP Ukraine Sharing with family and friends this great dream come true. One of my works of art has been chosen by David Gilmor, guitarist of pinkfloyd to illustrate the cover of his new single for Ukraine that premieres today on all networks.

The sunflower, Ukraine’s national flower, has become a symbol of support for the Ukrainian people in the midst of war. According to a statement from the British band about the single, Yosan’s painting on the cover “is a direct reference to the woman who was seen around the world giving sunflower seeds to Russian soldiers and telling them to carry them in their pockets to that when they die, the sunflowers will grow.”

Also on Instagram, the Cuban artist expressed his gratitude to the band for allowing him, through their works, to join the fight against the Russian invasion: “Hey Hey Rise UP. Stop the war thanks to pinkfloyd for giving me this opportunity to be a part of this. It is very sad what is happening.”

“This is something that I did not expect. Every time I see the image, it is something very exciting, “confessed the artist who has lived in the United States since 2014.

Leon never imagined that Ukraine would come back to his life through this work. “I was born and raised in Cienfuegos, among Russians and Ukrainians, who at that time were building an electronuclear power plant and thank God they never finished.”

Sunflowers play a special role in his work, a flower that “has been used a lot in art and for us Cubans, spiritually and religiously, it is very important. I try to humanize this flower and create a story through them”, he told CyberCuba.

“The gaze of the sunflower” also has another connotation for the artist: “this eye is at the center and as if observing everything, that was a difficult stage for me because I had come from Cuba and had left my children behind.”

When asked how much of Cuba remains in his works to this day, Yosan Leon assures that it is always present: “in the color, in the form, of each one of my pieces; that is something that one cannot get rid of” .

Yosan Leon studied plastic Fine Arts in Trinidad, Santi Spíritus, and later in Matanzas, where he finished this specialty. In Cuba he presented several exhibitions in which he alternated painting, sculpture and ceramics.

In the United States he has made the exhibitions “Confluense” and “En el monte monte soy”. His work, eclectic, focuses on contemporary themes, but above all it approaches its contextual reality.

Tags: Work Cuban artist Yosan Leon cover Pink Floyd single

Thanks to CyberCuba.