My name is Janet Ramos Gallo. I was born in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in Camaguey, where my ancestors settled more than a century ago at the time when Cuba was a colony of Spain. I was the only daughter from the marriage of two doctors trained after the Cuban revolution.
At age 12 I enrolled at Luis Casas Romero, a school specializing in fine arts in the capital city of Camaguey. For the next three years, I received lessons in various techniques of representation such as watercolor, sculpture, engraving, drawing with pencil and charcoal and some notions of European art and Cuban art.
After finishing the school of fine arts, I registered into the Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences, “Máximo Gómez Báez”, where I received the necessary prerequisites needed to apply to the Higher Institute of Design in Havana. There I would eventually embark on a study of industrial design, specializing in Interior Design and graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1996.
Subsequently, I worked as an interior designer and project manager in a company specialized in architectural design and engineering in the city of Camaguey.
After moving to Toronto, my life entered a profound process of transformation. Witnessing so many cultures coexisting and blending felt encouraging and wonderful; having respect for diversity and an understanding of other cultures is something that enriches all individuals and society as a whole. This awakened my desire to understand more about the cultures of the American continent pre-colonialism, and how the knowledge of those cultures was passed down and translated to their descendants today. It’s not just about the preservation of these ancient cultures but how those cultures are still alive, thriving, and practiced to this day. The values and knowledge that I achieved from my studies I call ‘The Grand Treasure”. On my journey pursuing these studies I happened upon a school of consciousness called Kawsay Pacha based in Peru that was founded by a teacher from the Q’ero nation, a group indigenous to Peru and descended directly from the Incas. This school, which I have now integrated into, focuses on the practical application of these ancestral teachings in daily life, a process called Qhapaq Ñan.
My artistic work is a form of self-exploration, I am developing the ability to maintain a spiritual awareness and recover the ability to experiment.
Thank you!