Portland, OR (PRUnderground) August 29th, 2026
What: Solo Exhibit
Featured Artist: Orlando Almanza
Exhibit title: Llévame contigo / Take Me With You
On View: SEPTEMBER 2nd - OCTOBER 10th, 2026
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11:00am to 5:30 pm
Special Events
Preview Reception September 2nd 5pm - 7pm
First Thursday Opening Receptions September 3rd and October 1st 5pm - 8pm
Artist Talk: September 12th 11am
Where
714 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209
Contact
503-222-1142
Froelick Gallery is pleased to present Orlando Almanza's 3rd solo exhibition Llévame contigo / Take Me With You. Almanza was born in 1989 in Las Tunas, Cuba and grew up there among an extended family, raising many animals and playing in an expanse of rivers, coconut trees and forest paths. His family and island upbringing influence his paintings to this day. This newest series of oil paintings explores Almanza's transition from Cuba to living in Portland, Oregon. Almanza's work redefines symbolism and storytelling. His energetic paintings pull you into his dream world of memory, myth, loss, and transformation. Each painting invites us in, to reflect on what we believe to be true, and to search for meaning in what we hold dear.
About this series Almanza writes: "The night I left Cuba, as is the custom to avoid the mal de ojo, I could not tell anyone I was leaving. I went to my favorite neighborhood bar, Melodrama, and sat with my friends and neighbors, bidding farewell to everything without being able to say goodbye... From the moment I left Cuba, I have not stopped walking, searching for what I left behind. Always searching for a way to not forget and to take it with me always."
Orlando Almanza received his Bachelor of Arts in Printmaking at Superior Institute of Arts in Havana, Cuba. He later became Assistant Professor of Printmaking there, and eventually achieved the job of studio assistant to esteemed Cuban artist, Carlos Quintana. Recent honors include painting acquisitions by the City of Portland's public art collection and Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, and two large-scale commissions for Hacienda CDC's Dolores Building, Hillsboro, OR. In summer 2026 he was a Vermont Studio School Artist in Residence, he teaches annual workshops at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Neskowin, OR,. Orlando Almanza joined Froelick Gallery in July 2022
Please contact the gallery for reproduction quality images or more information.
