On Thursday, at the Theater of the National Museum of Fine Arts, photographer Roberto Salas received the National Plastic Arts Award, granted by the National Council of Plastic Arts (CNAP) in recognition of his extensive and fruitful visual body of work.

Manuel Hernández, winner of this award in its previous edition, was part of the jury responsible for evaluating the proposals received. Other members included researcher and critic Margarita Ruiz Brandi; curator and critic Nelson Herrera Ysla; essayist and researcher Rafael Acosta de Arriba; and art historian Rosa Juampere.

Herrera Ysla read the jury's minutes, which stated the unanimous decision to honor Salas's work. The ruling explained that the photographer has made a significant contribution to the history of visual arts in the largest of the Antilles. For more than seven decades, Salas has contributed to the Cuban photographic and visual discourse with images possessing conceptual richness and works that have had a significant impact on the social imagination.

Salas received the award from Lizette Martínez Luzardo, Vice Minister of Culture, and Tania Cardó, President of the CNAP. The recognition included a work dedicated by fellow National Plastic Arts Award winner (2009) Nelson Domínguez, conceived especially for this moment.

As part of the honors, Salas also received a tribute from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), with Vice President Yuris Nórido presenting a work by artist José Omar Torres.

Rafael Acosta de Arriba remarked that the granting of this recognition is an act of "true poetic justice" due to Salas's commitment to capturing the rhythm and faces of the country in images. He added that Salas managed to articulate documentary records, history, and photographic essays into a solid body of work that has characterized his entire career.

The gathering concluded with a piano performance by Master Frank Fernández, paying a well-deserved tribute to an artist, his work, and the legacy that images continue to imprint upon time, memory, and the future.

This award has been granted since 1994 to a visual arts creator whose work contributes significantly to the universe of Cuban culture and its visual identity.