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Artist
Juan Cabana is an internationally recognized contemporary Fine Artist and mixed-media sculptor celebrated for his pioneering, large-scale physical sculptures and immersive installation art. Rather than participating in commercial or traditional taxidermy, Cabana works strictly within the realm of fine art assemblage, drawing deep conceptual inspiration from art history, marine biology, and ancient folklore.
Formal Training & Academic Background
Cabana's sophisticated approach to structural anatomy, print texture, and dimensional form is rooted in a rigorous academic foundation. His credentials include:
B.A. in Fine Arts, University of South Florida (USF): A comprehensive degree program where he specialized and cross-trained in foundational fine art disciplines. Painting: Influencing his meticulous approach to color blending, tonal transitions, and the rich, organic finishes that seamlessly unify his mixed-media pieces. Ceramics: Providing the technical expertise in clay and structural fabrication required to build complex, load-bearing physical armatures and detailed foundational body structures. Intaglio (Printmaking): Informing his unique sensitivity to fine surface texture, linework, and the intricate patterning required to replicate complex organic motifs. Artistic Medium & Philosophy
Cabana's practice is defined by the meticulous integration of organic elements with traditional sculptural foundations. His primary mediums include:
Preserved Marine Specimens: Utilizing specialized organic materials, such as authentic dried Grouper skin, scales, and fins, to create complex, life-like textures. Mixed-Media Assemblage: Combining ceramics, custom armatures, and natural elements (including animal claws) to form highly detailed, three-dimensional figures. Immersive Environments: Designing large-scale spatial installations, including original infinity rooms, that challenge the viewer's perception of space, light, and the abyssal deep. His work purposefully steers clear of sensationalism, focusing instead on the fluid boundary between the natural world and mythic storytelling. By layering authentic aquatic textures over finely sculpted forms, he creates a profound sense of antiquity and biological realism.
Current Vision & Goals
As the founder and creative director of The Mermaid Museum, Cabana is dedicated to curating a singular, immersive artistic experience. His current focus centers on executing a series of monumental, large-scale figures designed to inhabit specialized atmospheric environments. Through this ambitious museum project, slated to open in Havana, Cuba in 2027, Cabana aims to redefine modern mythic sculpture, offering audiences an evocative, tactile journey into the primal mysteries of the sea.
Publicity
The art of Juan Cabana has appeared in newspapers, magazines, galleries, books, radio, and television.
Hernan Bas works from the Rubell Family Collection
Hernan Bas commissioned me to create the center piece for his mixed media installation titled "Ocean's Symphony". Now in the collected works of the Rubell Family Collection Gallery located in Miami, Florida. See my creation on page 200 of this book.
Ripley's Believe It or Not: The Remarkable ... Revealed
by Miles Kelly Publishing Ltd. Features 2 page spread of my work.
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Weeki Wachee, City of Mermaids A great book illustrating the history of one of Florida's oldest roadside attractions, by Lu Vickers and Sara Dionne (University Press of Florida). Weeki Wachee Springs dates back to 1947. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is the only place in the world where you can watch real mermaids swim and perform for you. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
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"The Feejee Mermaid",
Coast To Coast radio interview with Juan Cabana by George Noory, August 8 2006.
"Juan Cabana, Mermaid Sculptor", Small WORLD podcast interview, September 20 2006
"Monster Museums", Mystery Hunters episode 62, season 3. Educational children's television production based in Montreal, Canada.
FOCUS Italian magazine, July/August 2007
SHOCK magazine, February 2007
FHM Lithuania magazine, November 2006
"Artists of the Macabre", PIT magazine, number 56, Fall 2006
Stalking the Chimera: Cryptozoology and Regional Myth, exhibition, Flight 19 Gallery, Tampa Florida, Oct 14 - Nov 5, 2006
Fortean Times magazine, issue 195, April/May 2005
October 21, 2003 cover & story
June 17, 2003 cover & story
May 6, 2003 cover & story
March 25, 2003 cover & story
March 11, 2003 cover & story
October 22, 2002 story & photo
(click on these two images for a larger version)
Please send questions and comments to Juan Cabana at
Mr.JuanCabana@protonmail.com
All images are copyright © 2001-2026, Juan Cabana. All rights reserved.
artist.htm updated July 22, 2026
