La cosa está difícil
Gema Gabriela Fernandez Cabezas
La cosa está difícil [detail] 2024
Portrait of José López
Digital photographic print
100 x 80 cm
About the Artwork
La cosa está difícil—”Things are difficult.” This portrait is of José López, an elderly Cuban man, living on a modest pension, navigating the challenges of the country’s economic and political day-to-day struggles. Despite scarcity and uncertainty, his resilient spirit and quiet determination shine through, embodying strength, dignity, and the human capacity to endure.
About the Artist
A Cuban artist based in Australia, Gema Gabriela Fernandez Cabezas works in film as a set decorator. She creates visual worlds that support narrative and emotion. Alongside her work in cinema, she paints murals and develops photography projects as a personal and conceptual practice. Her photographic work focuses on constructing images that question social issues, identity, and contemporary contradictions. Across film, painting, and photography, Gema’s practice is driven by storytelling, visual meaning, and the power of images to challenge perception.