James Sparshatt Art

El Principe - the little prince.  The Raphael Trejo gym is an institution of Old Havana. An open air gym that has produced world beating champions from bare-footed initiates.  In 2004 this boy was a star in the making... he went on to win medals in the boxing ring at London, Rio and Tokyo Olympic...

El Principe - the little prince.  The Raphael Trejo gym is an institution of Old Havana. An open air gym that has produced world beating champions from bare-footed initiates.  In 2004 this boy was a star in the making... he went on to win medals in the boxing ring at London, Rio and Tokyo Olympic...

It was Christmas day and we were heading to Santa Maria beach in a hired Cuban school bus about 40 minutes from Centro Havana. The girls of Rumba Morena beg...

Son is the traditional music of Cuba sung in the bars and cafés and casa de trova across the island, particularly in Santiago de Cuba. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dan...

A line to be crossed… a man leads with strength and tenderness on the tango floor in Buenos Aires. This striking black and white photograph captures an intimate moment of connectio...

Lost in each others embrace… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the moment. The work is available as...

Close your eyes, lean in, rest forehead to cheek and trust in your partner to take you on a journey… This image was taken in a tango club in Buenos Aires. James Sparshatt’s black a...

Close your eyes, lean in, rest forehead to cheek and trust in your partner to take you on a journey… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensi...

It was the last day of the Romerias de Mayo… an amazing annual gathering of the cream of Cuba’s young musical talent in Holguín. The musicians hugged and said fond farewells… those b...

Esperanza, the hope of youth for a better future. Holguín, Cuba 2002. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm...

The old teacher. When he was young tango was the Argentine dance. Born in the back streets and brothels of Buenos Aires its staccato movements and deep rooted passion were all-consum...

Women full of pride dancing during Las Romerias de Mayo festival James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of t...

Dancing to the rhythm of the Gods in Santiago de Cuba… Ochun reborn… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm ...

Lost in each others embrace… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the moment. The work is available as...

Son is the traditional music of Cuba sung in the bars and cafés and casa de trova across the island, particularly in Santiago de Cuba. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dan...

It was the last day of the Romerias de Mayo… an amazing annual gathering of the cream of Cuba’s young musical talent in Holguín. The musicians hugged and said fond farewells… those bound for Santiago de Cuba climbed on an old school bus...

The sculpted bodies of two dancers during a rehearsal in Santiago de Cuba… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people. The work is...

Close your eyes, lean in, rest forehead to cheek and trust in your partner to take you on a journey… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensi...

The old country girl from the Escambray mountains. I was hiking in the mountains, close to Trinidad, when I met the family. They invited me in and we chatted about our different live...

A tobacco farmer from the Viñales valley. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a s...

A tobacco farmer from the Viñales valley. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a s...

It was almost 3am and we were still waiting for the band to start to play. I stood on the open air stage buffeted by the winds as the group and their roadies struggled to set up. Th...

It was almost 3am and we were still waiting for the band to start to play. I stood on the open air stage buffeted by the winds as the group and their roadies struggled to set up. Th...

El revolucionario – a gentleman of Old Havana. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They hav...

A tobacco farmer from the Viñales valley in Cuba. In 1959 residents of Cuba were faced with a stark choice: stay on their island home and live as a “revolutionary” or leave. Some believed wholeheartedly in the new beginning, some were willing to be carried along and some abandoned everything they had and chose exile. The Buena Vista social club...

On a musical and pleasure seeking pilgrimage… during Las Romerias de Mayo festival in Holguín. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dr...

A lady of pure joy… dancing in the Plaza de la Revolucion on May 1st 2001. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 19...

The Viñales valley in western Cuba is a place of stunning beauty where perhaps the finest tobacco leaves in the world are grown. The tobacco farmers live hard but proud lives. The S...

A woman of Santiago de Cuba. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength of ch...

The gentleman… a man of calm dignity and endessly kind eyes in Old Havana in 2016. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic chan...

The background, artfully blurred, draws focus entirely on her expressive features. This photograph is a striking portrayal of age, presence, and the quiet dignity of ordinary life, i...

Corazon y Alma - Heart and soul – lost in each others arms on a tango floor in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A romantic black and white photograph of a couple dancing. The man with his ...

A moment of harmony… male with female, African with Hispanic… joined together in the dance that is Cuba. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and int...

A moment of pure joy in Holguín, Cuba, during las Romerias de Mayo festival. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the...

The last tango of the day en la Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the...

Te veo… I see you. Matanzas 2005. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength ...

Las Memorias… sitting on a rocking chair in Viñales watching the sunset and thinking of life. The wife of a tobacco farmer, a strong woman of generosity and humour lost in thought w...

A moment of joy on El Malecon, Havana’s sea wall and promenade. James Sparshatt’s black and white portraits are a search for a connection with a world of emotions. The work is ava...

La telaraña or “spider’s web” was taken in a dance school in Santa Clara, Cuba. The dance symbolised the relationship between man and woman… the man flirting, the woman turning away ...

El revolucionario – a gentleman of Old Havana. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They hav...

Graciela was for many years an institution in Old Havana. Always dressed beautifully, a cigar clamped between her teeth, a grin at the ready. A witness to the Cuban revolution and 50...

A woman of Santiago de Cuba. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength of character and underlying humour that transcends the struggle that has defined their lives. James Sparshatt went to Cuba in 1999 and was so taken with the island and its people that he returned 15 times in the following 7 years. His images are largely of the music and dance and innate rhythm of the island but he also found himself drawn to an older generation that had been old enough to understand the revolution in 1959, that lived through 40 years of tumultuous and often difficult times and who now watch with some bemusement the return of the outside world in wave upon wave of tourists. James Sparshatt’s photographs of the “Revolutionary” generation of Cubans capture their grit and indominatable spirit. The black and white portrait...

The old country girl from the Escambray mountains. I was hiking in the mountains, close to Trinidad, when I met the family. They invited me in and we chatted about our different live...

On a musical and pleasure seeking pilgrimage… during Las Romerias de Mayo festival in Holguín. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength of character and underlying humour that transcends the struggle that has defined their lives. James Sparshatt went to Cuba in 1999 and was so taken with the island and its people that he returned 15 times in the following 7 years. His images are largely of the music and dance and innate rhythm of the island but he also found himself drawn to an older generation that had been old enough to understand the revolution in 1959, that lived through 40 years of tumultuous and often difficult times and who now watch with some bemusement the return of the outside world in wave upon wave of tourists. James Sparshatt’s photographs of the “Revolutionary” generation of Cubans capture their grit and indominatable spirit. The black and white portrait photograph...

The Viñales valley in western Cuba is a place of stunning beauty where perhaps the finest tobacco leaves in the world are grown. The tobacco farmers live hard but proud lives. The S...

A moment of pure joy in Holguín, Cuba, during las Romerias de Mayo festival. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the...

Lake Sillustani sits at over 4000m above sea level in the high altiplano of Peru. Overlooking the lake on a raised plateau a series of tall Incan Funerary towers dominate the lansdca...

Te veo… I see you. Matanzas 2005. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength ...

Location: Havana Series : Spirit of the Revolution Year: 2001 Portrait of Elvirio el Dandy. An icon of Old Havana at the turn of the century. His custom of wearing finery has spaw...

There is a something about being a child on the beach where the sheer exuberance of running into the waves transcends the normal social barriers, and the shared exhilarance allows fo...

A moment of joy on El Malecon - Havana’s sea wall and promenade. James Sparshatt’s black and white portraits are a search for a connection with a world of emotions. The work is ava...

Location: KwaZulu Natal Year: 2006 The Tsonga region is in the north of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. It was a day of celebration, cattle had been slaughtered and the ladies of th...

The gentleman… a man of calm dignity and endessly kind eyes in Old Havana in 2016. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic chan...

There is a something about being a child on the beach where the sheer exuberance of running into the waves transcends the normal social barriers, and the shared exhilarance allows fo...