Mezzanine Gallery

No es fácil, pero

By Gabriel Sosa

No es fácil, pero by Gabriel Sosa is a series of banners that invite a meditation on hope, salvation, and action. The phrase "No es fácil" retains its meaning of "it ain't easy" across the Spanish-speaking world. However, it assumes a special relevance in Cuban slang. During Cuba's Special Period in the 1990s, "no es fácil" became a common phrase in everyday life used to collectively recognize the country's economic struggles after the fall of the Soviet Union. It has become a permanent element in Cuban vocabulary to express a shared sense of compassion in the face of a collective obstacle. This installation draws from a series of billboards the artist made in 2020 - 2021 that were installed in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and East Boston, neighborhoods that had high levels of Covid-19. They were intended to offer a message of hope and solidarity in the midst of the uncertainty of the pandemic. 

Shown at City Hall, the banners resituate this phrase for our current time, embracing the power and presence of the Spanish language in Boston and encouraging the public to fill in the blanks themselves. This gesture simultaneously affirms that no "one size fits all" response exists, while also offering room to imagine what different responses might be possible. Each banner repeats the same sentence in a different font and color inviting the viewers to consider the various shapes and forms language takes, and the discourses this creates. From the typography used in headlines in Cuba’s newspaper Granma, to the typeface required in briefs and petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court, the artist explores the way messages get across and how trust is deeply tied to presentation and visibility.

Centered in care, action, and the salvation we seek in one another, the piece creates a dialogue with the long term installation We Belong by Yu-Wen Wu, which was developed in the Now + There Accelerator Program cohort (before becoming the Triennial) that both artists were part of. The juxtaposition of No es fácil, pero and We Belong reunites these phrases while also opening space for reflection around what belonging can look like, particularly in the face of troubling circumstances, and what that might look like in our lives and routines in Boston.

Gabriel Sosa, a Cuban-American artist, educator, and curator. Born and raised in Miami, Gabriel has been based in Boston for over 15 years. A former court interpreter, much of his practice explores the mutability of language and its capacity for connection or misunderstanding. His work has been shown at Fitchburg Art Museum; The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco; Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Havana, Cuba; Tufts University Art Galleries; Wagner Foundation, Cambridge; and Museo La Tertulia, Cali, Colombia. He has participated in residencies at Lugar a dudas, The Art & Law Program, Materia Abierta, Urbano Project, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Mass MoCA, and Santa Fe Art Institute. As part of the 2025 Boston Public Art Triennial, Gabriel created ñ press, a community print initiative in East Boston centered on connection, activism, and shared learning, that continues to operate. Gabriel teaches at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and also serves as Deputy Director of Essex Art Center in Lawrence, MA.

This exhibition is organized by Galleries and Exhibitions Manager Mariana Rey in dialogue with the artist. To learn more about the artist please visit www.gabrielsosa.com.