The universe is a concert of patterns. Galaxies, solar systems, and planets share elements in common and others that set them apart. The same holds true for nations, cities, and communities. Cincinnati possesses a remarkable artistic community. As I gradually come to know its members, patterns begin to reveal themselves—those that identify them as part of a universal order, and those that distinguish them from others operating in different ecosystems, whether within the metropolitan circuits of Europe or in what is often called the Third World.

Yesterday—quite late in the day—I learned of the tragic passing of the artist Rewell Altunaga through a post by Jesús Hdez‑Güero, another Cuban creator based in Madrid. Hdez‑Güero shared the article CNN published just yesterday on its digital edition. The piece, written by Ray Sánchez—a Puerto Rican journalist who once reported from Havana for the network—notes that he would often come across Rewell on the streets of West Harlem, in northern Manhattan.

Last week, at the exhibition Osy Milián opened at Galería Zapata, I told Evelyn Sosa I wanted to write about one of her photographs. I also told her that it would not be an interpretation or a critical assessment of her work, but rather of that particular image. And I did not say then—though I say it now—that if the result resembled what is known in the field as an “art review,” it would be incidental and by no means intentional. That said, above you can see the photograph in question: one that draws my attention more than any of the others I’ve kept.