Press release Armando Marino | What Remains

ROOF-A is proud to announce a new collaboration with Armando Mariño. The Cuban-born artist was a resident artist at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and currently lives and works in New York. The collaboration with ROOF-A marks a wonderful return to the Netherlands.

“I was never more of an artist in my life than when I was in Holland.” Armando Mariño

'The Mexican’
The first steps toward this collaboration were taken last May during the opening of Fenix, the new art museum dedicated to migration in Rotterdam. The meeting was prompted by the work “The Mexican” (2019), an expressive and iconic oil painting included in “All Directions,” a landmark collection of artworks by more than a hundred artists from around the world.

Back in the Netherlands
Armando Mariño (Cuba, 1968) completed a residency at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam from 2004 to 2005. “I was never more of an artist in my life than when I was in Holland,” he says of those formative years. Over the years, Mariño has lived and worked not only in Cuba and the Netherlands, but also in Spain, France, and the United States. His works are exhibited in various galleries and institutions around the world, including Gericke + Paffrath Gallery (Düsseldorf), Coates & Scarry (London), Faction Art Project (New York), and Kunstmuseum Basel.

Human emotions
Mariño’s contemporary work powerfully addresses themes such as identity, history, and political tensions, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of traditional painting techniques. His paintings focus on human emotions and make powerful, almost instinctive use of cultural symbols to provoke thought. Through his vibrant use of color and symbolic imagery, he explores the complexity of cultural heritage and social issues, combining his Cuban roots with broader global narratives.

“My creative process has changed radically over the years, and for the most part, it has been determined by my nomadism, in the countries where I have lived.” Armando Mariño

Preview PAN Amsterdam, solo exhibition January 2026
To celebrate this new collaboration, a fine selection of his works on paper and paintings is now on view at the gallery, followed by a preview at PAN Amsterdam. This year, the fair will take place from Sunday, November 2 through Sunday, November 9, 2025, at the Amsterdam RAI. On Saturday, January 24, 2026, ROOF-A will kick off the new year in style with an extensive solo exhibition by Armando Mariño. The solo exhibition aims to serve as a reintroduction to his work in the Netherlands and presents his work from a broad perspective.