Pablo Hugo Rozada Vena, a professional artist from Aviles, Spain will visit St. Augustine, Fla. July 7 through 21, to complete an obelisk for the international public art project, Obelisk Art 450, produced by Compassionate St. Augustine.

This will be Rozada’s first trip to the U.S. as part of an artist exchange between the city of Aviles, Spain and the nonprofit Compassionate St. Augustine. Jan Master, an artist from St. Augustine participated in Aviles’ version of Obelisk Art 450 during La Noche Blanca, a public art celebration in Aviles, on April 17, 2015.

Pablo Hugo Rozada Vena is a recognized alumni of the Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Architecture, in the Sculpture Department of the School of Art in Asturias. During the last three years he has taught "Reproduction of Molds and Handmade Ceramic Pieces" for the Cultural Factory of Aviles. Rozada is also a Potter-Ceramist at the Museum and Municipal School of Ceramics in Aviles, where he lectures. Until October 2005, he worked in an art bronze foundry.

Professionally engaged in the visual arts since 1993, his life from the beginning has been linked to art as his first creative steps took place in the sculpture workshop of his father, Constantine Rozada Castro, a sculptor and painter, now deceased. 

Rozada has participated in workshops, seminars and courses given by Favila, Ignacio Bernardo, Ricardo Fernandez, Anabel Quarter, Angel Dominguez Gil; and has collaborated on different projects with many artists. His recent interdisciplinary artistic works include the technical implementation, coordination and pictorial participation in the "POLArte" projects of the City of Pola de Siero in 2006, "Focused" organized by the City Council in its two editions (2009 and 2010), "epiderme d'O "in Saint Nazaire (France) in 2012, and "Eugenia Project" also sponsored by the city of Aviles in 2014.

He has to his credit more than a dozen solo exhibitions including painting and sculpture in galleries, mostly in Asturias, Spain and has participated in more than 40 group exhibitions including many prestigious competitions in Spain, Portugal and France. Pablo Hugo Rozada Vena has work in public institutions in Aviles, Luarca, Siero in Spain and in St. Augustine, Florida in the U.S.
    
“The artist exchange between two official Compassionate Cities is truly an amazing happening. I was honored to be part of the Obelisk Art 450 event in Aviles. The warmth and hospitality shown to me during my stay was a once in a lifetime experience.” said Jan Master, St. Augustine artist. While in St. Augustine, Pablo Rozada along with his wife, Teresa, hope to visit the home of NASA, the Kennedy Space Center.

Rozada says the concept for his obelisks in each Obelisk Art 450 project includes the "merging of two emblematic monuments that exist today as symbols in both sister cities: the obelisk commemorating the 1812 Constitution of St. Augustine and the monument erected in 1918 in Aviles, Villa del Adelantado, in honor of Pedro Menendez de Aviles, founder of St. Augustine, Florida. The green background on each obelisk represents nature and power, both very present in Asturias, Spain and in St. Augustine, Florida.”

About Obelisk Art 450
Obelisk Art 450 (OA450) is privately funded international public art project produced by Compassionate St. Augustine, a Florida 501(c)(3) and Florida’s first official Compassionate City, to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida, the nation’s oldest city.  Compassionate St. Augustine and Compassionate Aviles are the first Compassionate Sister Cities worldwide.