At Natasha Knoppel Art Galleries we are extremely passionate about art in all its manifestations as this is what elevates and impacts our purpose everyday. Not elevating however is a pandemic and the very grim reality of a war nearby at the brink of escalation.

Benedictio IV was the most recent project of Natasha Knoppel Art Galleries in Delft, the Netherlands from september 2020 through the end of November 2020. Due to the persisting lockdowns related to the Covid pandemic in 2021, our yearly Benedictio project never came to see the light.

So in 2021 no Benedictio V, no Caribbean masters of contemporary art inspiring our visitors by pleading for our favourite and meaningful educational themes of Cultural Heritage, the Environment and Sustainability.

These past two years have been a delicate time of repositioning ourselves and coming to grips with the challenges of a new reality in a dangerous world. The vulnaribility of the human race and contemporary society have been laid bare as we lost loved ones and had to re-arrange our work and life styles amidst increasing uncertainty.

We have come to the realization that we have to be not only more courageous, but also more compassionate. That is why in this year 2022 we at Natasha Knoppel Art Galleries decided to embrace simplicity, beauty, love, love, love, even more passion and fun! We choose this year to be light as a feather. Old timers – classic cars – are like art, objects of passion and intense enchantment.

I decided to connect the dots and this is how this new collection of Natasha Knoppel Art Galleries “Carros” created by the Havana based Cuban artist duo L&J came to life. Because sometimes you just have to create a little bit of magic.

It was Picasso who once said: “art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”.

So let us celebrate, let us build a collection of joyful moments in abundance. Have a Cuban cigar and enjoy these works of art. After all, we still want to see the sunset, even in the darkest of days.

We thank the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba for hosting this exhibition.