Soicher Marin
Mike Rivero
If there was ever a cliché of the “American Dream”, artist Mike Rivero may represent the embodiment of that cliché.
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1959, Mike grew up in the gritty neighborhood of La Vibora (the Snake). Since his earliest recollection, he knew that he would one day leave Cuba. His mother told him that one way or another, some day, they would leave Cuba forever. Her dream was to restart her life and that of her children in the United States.
Making their way to American shores took a circuitous route leaving Havana in the 1970, as America faced the apogee of the cold war. With nothing in their pockets and no relations awaiting them, 13 year-old Mike and his mother braved a transatlantic voyage to their new home: Madrid, Spain. During the early seventies, there he studied privately with impressionist Michael Dancer. In 1974 his travels culminated with a move to New York. Today, Rivero lives and works in San Pedro, California.
