THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Sandra E. Garcia
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| Ayón’s work “La Cena” (1991) depicts a version of the Christian “Last Supper,” replacing the Jesus figure with the princess Sikán.Credit Michael Nagle for The New York Time |
In 1993, the Cuban printmaker
Belkis Ayón, known for her signature collage-based style and her work reflecting the Afro-Cuban religion Abukuá, was invited to show at the Venice Biennale in Italy. She was determined to make it, despite obstacles in her home country. Cuba was going through an economic depression at that time, leaving it dark and uncertain, with drastic food and fuel shortages. With no other way to get to the airport 20 miles from their home in Havana, she and her father mounted their bikes and started riding. Ayón raced ahead of her father, who rode with her work strapped to his bicycle. She made it in time to board, but he did not, —and neither did her work (though it did eventually make the trip). For Ayón, who was born Jan. 23, 1967, in Havana, art was how she communicated. [
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| For Belkis Ayón, who was born Jan. 23, 1967, in Havana, art was how she communicated. |
