Inside Outsider: Entering the World of Waya

Director and Producer, Charles Abelmann.

Waya is a documentary about a Cuban “outsider” artist, Julian Espinosa Rebollido, that is in production. Julian Espinosa Rebollido is a Cuban “primitive/outsider” artist commonly known as Wayacon. He has spent most of his life between the towns of Remedios, Santa Clara and Cienfuegos. He has traveled all over Cuba and served in the army including being active during the Bay of Pigs. He now lives in the home of his grandparents in Remedios and is under the care of one of his sons. His home is a living gallery of his art on the outskirts of a small colonial town with one of the oldest churches in Cuba. He is surrounded by his dog, cat, chickens and his goat. He loves his garden and rarely leaves his home. He also spends some time with another son in Cienfuegos. The project presents the artist, his work, views of peer artists and collectors to understand how this outsider has become part of the canon of Cuban art of the 20th and 21st century. Abelmann enters the home and mind of the artist who he first met in 2013. The intent of the project is to leave a legacy of Wayacon’s thought through his work and his words with added narration of artists and others that can help a general audience appreciate his distinct space as an outsider in the current Cuban art space.

We have also interviewed members of the artist community in Remedios, including the artist Fernando Betancourt Pinero, who have known Wayacon for decades. Sandra Levinson, the executive director and co-founder of the nonprofit NY based Center for Cuban Studies, has known Wayacon for years well and has promoted his work through art tours. We follow her and one of her tours to learn more about Waya and the context of his work to help shape the arc of the story and the context of Cuba.

The film will be primarily in Spanish with subtitles making it useful for students studying Spanish and students interested in Cuban art and culture. The film will have an original score by Yenobis Delgado, a Cuban musician, who has known Wayacon from growing up in the art community of Santa Clara.

Wayacon’s art has been sold in galleries and auctions around the world and he has received prizes and his work is part of national collections. He is not really aware how far his art has traveled. He creates to live.

We are actively seeking funding from individuals and organizations to support the project.

Filmmakers Collaborative is a fiscal sponsor of Wayacón. Tax deductible donations can be made to Filmmakers Collaborative here.