Report from the Opening of the Exhibition "Luis Eliades - Painter of Stories"

The opening of the exhibition “Luis Eliades – painter of stories” took place in the northern wing of the Neo-Gothic Castle in Galanta on the 28^th of May, 2024. The implementation of the cultural event was the result of mutual cooperation and the initiative of the main organizer and the owner of the exhibited collection of paintings, RNDr. PaedDr. Ján Veselovský, PhD. from the Department of Tourism of FCES of CPU in Nitra with the Cuban Embassy in Slovakia, the Municipal Centre of Culture in Galanta, the Slovak Catholic Charity and it also involved the students of tourism from the faculty. The opening was made more enjoyable with Cuban songs by the singer Rosario Portuondo and a dance performance by the Mario Lopez Dance Company.

Luis Eliades' paintings, which will be exhibited in the premises of the Neo-Gothic Castle until the 21^st of June, 2024, are full of stories about Cuba, colours, rum, cigars, dance, the specific faith of Santeria, celebrations of life and, above all, stories from Baracoa, where he lived for more than eighty years. Luis Eliades was not only a Cuban painter, but he is also considered the grandfather of the artists of Baracoa, a city with a strong story. In 1942, Christopher Columbus anchored in a bay near Baracoa, stuck a cross on the shore and wrote in his diary “the human eye has never seen anything more beautiful”. Today we already know that he was right, and with that he began to write the history of Baracoa, Cuba as well as the whole of Latin America. And it was precisely this beauty of Baracoa that Luis Eliades put into his paintings.

In addition to the positive benefits associated with the charitable purpose aimed at helping children in Cuba, the exhibition has the potential to significantly contribute to the development of cultural tourism, the revitalization of the social life of the local population, the improvement of the organizational competences of students, as well as to their education connected with the recognition and presentation of cultural values ​​in international context. We cordially invite you!

Ing. Kristína Pančíková, PhD.