Moscú, Rusia, 1969. She worked collaboratively with another artist for over 20 years, exhibiting their work in numerous solo and group exhibitions both within and beyond the island. Her work addressed predominantly social and political issues, approached in a conceptual and symbolic manner. Concurrently, she pursued personal projects, drawing from her individuality and personal experiences as a woman, mother, and artist.

She has had more than a dozen solo exhibitions and nearly a hundred group exhibitions in Cuba and around the world. Liudmila has received accolades such as the HfG-ZKM Award in Karlsruhe, Germany, a residency summer program at the Watermill Foundation, and support from the Cuban Art Fund, including a residency at the Vermont Studios.

Her work is part of collections including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Nordic Light, Kristiansund, Norway; Lehigh University Collection, Philadelphia; Museum of Modern Art of Luxembourg; Consejo Nacional de las Artes Plásticas, La Habana; Fototeca de Cuba, La Habana; Sherrit International Art Collection, La Habana; Watermill Foundation Collection (Robert Wilson), New York; West Licht Schauplätze für Photography, Austria; Dr. Mag. Alfred Weidinger; Anabel González de Suero; Allison and Peter Rockefeller; Bern Arocha; Ben Rodríguez; Beth Rudin de Woody; Influent Culture (Romaric Tisserand); Plonsker Family Collection; Turhan Bey; and Jeff Stober and Steve Stober Collection.

The artist defines herself:

‘I began to feel a fascination for this art form from my earliest childhood. It was love at first sight. I remember my parents’ cameras, with which they took my first photographs, stored in their leather cases. Even as a child, I sensed that taking photos was something transcendent, almost a rebellious act, a moment that would be saved from the inevitable passage of time and oblivion. I loved looking at family albums, people, places, objects, and landscapes from times gone by. Then, in adolescence, they bought me my first camera. I felt fulfilled. I dreamt that I would become a great photographer and reporter for National Geographic or some other prestigious magazine, documenting important events or political and social conflicts; perhaps I would do street and nature photography in some distant corner among wild animals. The walls of my room were covered with pictures cut from magazines, allowing me to expand the boundaries of my own life and travel through images.’

(…)

‘My personal story is that of an immigrant who came to live on this island, coincidentally, on a boat. A paradox. Born to a Russian mother and a Cuban father, I was born in the former Soviet Union. I came to live in Cuba definitively at the age of 7, after many comings and goings, on a long journey, after my parents completed their studies in Moscow. That long journey profoundly marked my life and my work as an artist. Nothing but sky and water, an endless horizon, and occasionally some dolphins. The first time I saw land again, the night we arrived in Havana Bay after weeks of sailing, was impactful. Seeing the Malecón for the first time from the sea was an unforgettable sight. I still remember the deafening sound of the ship’s horn announcing its entry into this city where I have lived and worked ever since. I was a discoverer of a new world.’

In that first exhibition, I found a way to interweave a collective event with personal experience, a relationship I have maintained in most of my work. I knew from childhood what it was like to be uprooted, to be separated from family, to experience the pain of goodbyes to loved ones, to adapt to a new culture, language, and customs. My story reflects the history of this country, stories of emigration and painful separation.’

As seen in ‘Ojo al visor: Liudmila Velasco’ by Alex Fleites in the ‘De otro costal’ section, OnCuba News, October 21, 2022.