Abel Barroso was born in 1971 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. He was educated at the National School of Visual Arts and the Higher Institute of Art, both in Havana, Cuba.

Using meticulous craftsmanship and a dry delivery, he creates playful mixed media works that often invite the viewer to interact. Satirical and witty, Barroso is shadowing the political content of his work behind a fresh and lighthearted vision. 

His concerns address issues arising between so called First and Third World countries. The Third World Internet Cafe, Barroso’s installation at the 7th Havana Biennial in 2000, featured computers fashioned out of wood and paper and hand-cranked by the viewer delivering a humorous commentary on contemporary Cuban life.

His work has been extensively exhibited and can be found as part of the collection of important museums and institutions around the world, such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MOMA); the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba; the Blanton Museum at the University of Texas; The University of Arizona Museum of Art, Phoenix, Arizona; and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, Florida among others.