NKAME: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE CUBAN PRINTMAKER BELKIS AYÓN, SELECTED AMONG THE BEST ART OF 2017 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES December 8, 2017 Yadira Leyva Ayón © The New York Times The Nkame Exhibition: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón, exhibited this summer at Museo del Barrio, New York (June 13 - November 5) was selected among the best of the art of 2017 by the New York Times, according to the selection of Holland Cotter, one of three New York Times art critics who shared his picks. Link to the article HERE Likewise, Holland Cotter, Art Critical Co-Director of The New York Times, reviewed the exhibition at Museo del Barrio, NY. Link to the article HERE PREVIOUS NEWS NEXT NEWS

BELKIS AYÓN: EARLY WORK Arthur Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania . . September, 2003 Text to the catalog: Rosemary Branson Gill. The sponsors: Massachusetts College of Art Massachusetts Cultural Council Spire Belkis Ayón. Early works, is sponsored by Alex Rosenberg Fine Art, New York. Exhibition and reception presented in conjunction with Revolution and Representation: An International Conference on Contemporary Printmaking. This exhibition was presented at: 2003-2004 Resurrection. Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) Collographs from Cuba, Massachusetts College of Art, Arthur Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania and Brandywine Workshop, October 11-January 4, 2004, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Co-sponsored by: Romance Languages Department Latin American Women and Culture Studies Program Center for African Studies, University of Pennsylvania With the support of the Department of Religious Studies, Department of Arts, Center for African American Research, House of Latin and African Studies. Collaboration with the Brandywine Workshop and Alex Rosenberg Fine Art, New York.

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April 13, 2016 Yadira Leyva Ayón © Belkis Ayón Estate Belkis Ayón's work will be part of the exhibition "Memories" that will open next Thursday, April 14 at 6:00 pm in the Gallery Orígenes of the Gran Teatro de La Habana «Alicia Alonso». This exhibition brings together, in addition to Ayón's engravings, pieces by Ibrahim Miranda and Sandra Ramos, three of the most important contemporary artists of the 90s in Cuba. PREVIOUS NEWS NEXT NEWS

NKAME: RETROSPECTIVE OF THE CUBAN RECORDER BELKIS AYÓN (1967-1999) Museo del Barrio, New York, United States January 25, 2018 - April 29, 2018 The traveling exhibition Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) was inaugurated on June 13, 2017, at its second venue, Museo del Barrio, New York. A project organized by this prestigious institution and the Belkis Ayón Estate, Havana, Cuba. The exhibition is curated by Cristina Vives. Exhibition Tour Management by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA. Photographs: Darrel Couturier, Yadira Leyva Ayón, and Courtesy of the Museo del Barrio For more information, visit the Museo del Barrio website Press coverage New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/arts/design/how-an-afro-cuban-visionary-made-a-mans-world-her-own.html The Village Voice https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mqkJ4A4KdtcJ:https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/08/22/how-belkis-ayons-explorations-of-ritual-make-for- one-of-2017s-best-shows / + & cd = 1 & hl = es-419 & ct = clnk & client = firefox-b-ab Art by Excellencies http://www.arteporexcelencias.com/es/node/23237 ArtNexus https://www.artnexus.com/Notice_View.aspx?DocumentID=30811 Jacques and Natasha. GELMAN FOUNDATION https://www.artnexus.com/Notice_View.aspx?DocumentID=30811 The opinion https://laopinion.com/2017/09/06/belkis-ayon-la-maldicion-de-sikan/ Granma http://www.granma.cu/cultura/2017-09-19/la-obra-de-belkis-ayon-se-aduena-de-nueva-york-19-09-2017-21-09-55 Repeating islands https://repeatingislands.com/2017/06/13/nkame-a-retrospective-of-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ayon-el-museo-del-barrio/ ARTS INITIATIVE. Columbia University in the City of New York http://artsinitiative.columbia.edu/events/nkame-retrospective-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ay%C3%B3n-0 THE BROOKLYN RAIL. Critical perspectives on Arts, Politics, and Culture http://brooklynrail.org/2017/09/artseen/BELKIS-AYON-NKAME Art geek https://www.artgeek.io/exhibitions/57f441e7ae98d49e7c1332cf/5925e7d932259c176b428e71 One Arty Minute https://oneartyminute.com/agenda/nkame-retrospective-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ayon.html Ethnic Epicure http://www.ethnicepicurenyc.com/culture-performances/2017/6/13/cuba-nkame-retrospective-of-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ayon artdaily.org http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=96681#.Wc5GCGe8rIV Art Stack https://theartstack.com/tags/exhibitions/Nkame:ARetrospectiveofCubanPrintmakerBelkisAy%C3%B3n/artists Your New York Magazine http://tunymag.com/nkame-retrospective-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ayon-view-now-el-museo-del-barrio/ Artnet news What's the Best Work of Art you saw this Summer? 18 Well-Traveled Experts weigh in https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-best-work-of-art-i-saw-this-summer-part-one-1052006 ZEALnyc http://www.zealnyc.com/end-of-summer-museum-round-up-part-2/ The Tempest http://www.latempestad.mx/belkis-ayon-retrospectiva/ Harlem One Stop https://www.harlemonestop.com/event/25080/nkame-a-retrospective-of-cuban-printmaker-belkis-ayn New Yorkio http://www.newyorkio.com/2017/08/nkame-retrospective-of-cuban-printmaker.html OnCuba Billboard June 30, 2017 http://oncubamagazine.com/sociedad/cartelera-musica-de-barrio-en-barrio/ Afro-Cuban Directory http://directoriodeafrocubanas.com/2016/03/10/belkis-ayon/

Belkis Ayón. Mythologies May 23 – November 11, 2025 Bildmuseet, Sweden Bildmuseet proudly presents Belkis Ayón / Mythologies, the first Nordic exhibition dedicated to the work of renowned Cuban artist Belkis Ayón (1967-1999). This show highlights key pieces from her career, spanning from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Ayón pioneered the technique of collography, pushing its expressive limits and expanding its formats. Her monumental works draw inspiration from the Abakuá, a secret Afro-Cuban brotherhood whose mythology and symbolism shaped her artistic production. Through her bold reinterpretations, Ayón unveils the power of myths, radically challenging their narratives and creating a unique visual universe. The exhibition is a collaborative project between Bildmuseet and The Gund (Kenyon College, Ohio, USA), with the support of Belkis Ayón Estate (Havana, Cuba) and Modern Art Oxford (UK). For more information, please visit Bildmuseet website

NKAME: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE CUBAN PRINTMAKER BELKIS AYÓN (1967-1999) Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States October 1, 2016 - February 17, 2017 Project Management: Belkis Ayón Estate and the Fowler Museum Curator: Cristina Vives The traveling exhibition Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) was inaugurated on October 1, 2016, at its first venue in the United States, the Fowler Museum at UCLA. A project developed by this prestigious institution and the Belkis Ayón Estate, Havana, Cuba. The exhibition is curated by Cristina Vives. Photographs: José A. Figueroa, Yadira Leyva Ayón, and Courtesy of the Fowler Museum For more information, visit the Fowler Museum website Press coverage http://southernworldartsnews.blogspot.fr/ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-belkis-ayon-20160912-snap-htmlstory.html http://artishockrevista.com/2016/11/05/primera-individual-eeuu-belkis-ayon-una-artista-prolifica-corta-vida/ https://www.artforum.com/picks/id=64969 http://www.cubanartnews.org/es/news/the-mysterious-world-of-belkis-ayon http://cubacounterpoints.com/archives/4280 http://www.artandantiquesmag.com/2016/11/belkis-ayon-art/ http://hyperallergic.com/346366/the-masterful-unsettling-work-of-a-female-cuban-printmaker/ http://artillerymag.com/fowler-museum-belkis-ayon/ http://hyperallergic.com/347988/best-of-2016-our-top-10-los-angeles-art-shows/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/belkis-ay%C3%B3n-artist_us_58682398e4b0d9a5945bb281 https://www.artslant.com/ew/articles/show/47166

HOLD ME IN PAIN Unterstütze mich, halte mich hoch, im Schmerz. Belkis Ayón / Hold me in pain Kirche St. Barbara, Breinig, Germany November, 1995 Curators: Helmo Hernández, Ludwig Foundation of Cuba Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Becker, Ludwig Forum Aachen Words to the catalog: “Among the artists who develop the theme of God in their paintings. We are passionate about Belkis Ayón for several reasons. She comes from Cuba, and the native population of Africa on this island has achieved in Santeria a special mixture of Christian icons with the orishas of the Yoruba religions. The fact that Belkis Ayón deals with these issues makes her an artist who began in the 80s when a new perspective on religions and their importance for the lives of mankind emerged throughout the world. And in the socialist state of Cuba, this occupation has a meaning: the contradiction assumed with the religious members of the Party enriches the political practice. Belkis Ayón is a draftsman, and a printmaker with precision, subtlety, and perfection rarely seen. And yet that desire for perfection is not put at the service of the search for any beauty, but for a respectful contradiction in works full of concerns and dignity ”(Wolfgang Becker, in Belkis Ayón, Halte mich hoch… (Breining, 1995).

PUBLICATIONS Nkame Mafimba. Belkis Ayon Dimensions: 24 × 31 cm Pages: 400 Binding: chrome-plated hardcover with French dust jacket ISBN: 978-84-19539-24-3 Language: Bilingual Spanish-English Second revised and expanded edition of Belkis Ayón's catalog raisonné. Available in: Turner Libros Belkis Ayon (Havana, 1967-1999) is a key figure in the history of Cuban art. With her unexpected death, aesthetic inquiries and technical procedures of considerable impact on contemporary engraving were interrupted. Belkis deployed a rigorous intellectual research on the Abakuá Secret Society, which allowed her to discover its symbolic and cultural universe in order to build an inimitable visual narrative. The founding myth of Sikán became the thematic referent of the discourse traced by the artist. The character became an alter ego, allowing her to channel deep existential questions and, at the same time, stimulate a re-reading of themes such as identity, power relations, fear, pain or sexuality. In the sacred Abakuá language, Nkame mafimba means to praise, story, conversation in the deep. Twenty-five years after her death, the legacy of this creator continues to inspire profound reflections in the contemporary cultural scene. This new edition expanded and revised by her Estate, contains as a novelty the cataloging and reproduction of all the artist's matrices. The book includes two QRs that refer to all the texts in Spanish and English of the first edition on one hand and, on the other, to the texts of the new edition in German, following the reunion with the Ludwig Foundation in Aachen, which has supported this publication. In bookstores from November 20th, 2024. Behind the veil of a Myth. Belkis Ayon Project Management: Dra. Katia Ayón. Belkis Ayón Estate Editorial Edition and Texts: Cristina Vives Design: Laura Llópiz Translation: Gloria Riva, Olimpia Sigarroa 210 Pages | English Edition Station Museum of Contemporary Art, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-4951-4650-3 Available on: Ebay "Behind the veil of a myth" considers the most significant moments of the creative process of the Cuban engraver Belkis Ayón (Havana, 1967-1999), followed by a virtual tour of the exhibition "Nkame. A retrospective of the Cuban engraver Belkis Ayón ", exhibited in Cuba for the first time in September 2009, traveling through different museums in the United States since 2016. Based on the study of the work of Belkis Ayón carried out by the curator Cristina Vives, as well as in parts of an interview with the artist, and extensively illustrated with the 48 pieces that make up the exhibition among others, "Behind the veil of a myth" offers a description of the creative life of Belkis and the main motivations that led her to an investigation that totally absorbed her short but intense artistic life: The Secret Society Abakuá. His work evolved from the stage of "representation" of the myth during his student years, to a later artistic moment in which the myth served as a vehicle for a post-modern disguise, which characterized young Cuban artists in the 90's. after the collapse of European socialism. Belkis' monumental engravings were pioneers in Cuba and worldwide and provided the Abakuá legend with an overwhelming iconography, which it did not have previously. "Behind the veil of a myth" is an approach that interconnects the artist with the Cuban and international context and the unequivocal signs of the present and the universality that her work communicates from her deep social and liberating vocation. exclusive release exclusive release exclusive release exclusive release Belkis Ayón Ines Anselmi, Jaime Sarusky 89 Páginas | [NAME] Publications, 2024 | Tapa dura | 9.5 x 6.75 inches | Textos en Español e Inglés | ISBN: 9798988981701 Precio de venta: $35.00 Availability: [NAME] Publications Published in collaboration with David Castillo, Belkis Ayón is an 89-page bilingual monograph focusing on the voice and work of the late printmaker. The book includes two historical interviews with filmmaker Ines Anselmi and the late journalist Jaime Sarusky, providing insights into Ayón’s methods, style, and her exploration of Abakuá fraternal society in Cuba. Ayón’s words reveal the significance of the society’s origin story, iconography, and practices in shaping her own visual language. Alongside these interviews, the publication features full-page plates showcasing notable works created by the artist between 1989 and 1999. Despite Ayón’s restrained palette of black, brown, and gray, each work in the book unveils a universe of intricate details and textures, conveying profound meanings which she achieved through her unique process of collagraphy. Belkis Ayón is published on the occasion of the first gallery solo exhibition of Ayón’s work since her passing in 1999, organized by David Castillo and the Belkis Ayón Estate. The exhibition will be on view at David Castillo from January 30 – April 25, 2024. Belkis Ayón Manso (January 23, 1967 – September 11, 1999) pursued her education at the San Alejandro Academy in Havana, Cuba (1986) and earned her Bachelor’s degree in engraving from the Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana (1991). She participated in residencies at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia; the Brodsky Center, Philadelphia College of Art; and Benson Hall Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design. Ayón left a lasting impact on the art world, participating in significant international exhibitions during her lifetime, including the 45th Venice Biennale. Ongoing retrospectives of her work, starting with the Fowler Museum at UCLA in 2016 and most recently at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, underscore her enduring influence. Her work has also been included at the 59th Venice Biennale and the 34th Bienal de São Paulo. Ayón’s work can be found in private and public collections worldwide, including The Museum of Modern Art, NY, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Nkame. Belkis Ayon Project Management: Dra. Katia Ayón. Belkis Ayón Estate Editorial Concept: Cristina Vives Authors: José Veigas, Cristina Vives, David Mateo, Lázara Menéndez Design: Laura Llópiz 296 Pages | 400 Images | Bilingual Spanish / English Edition Turner Editores, Madrid, 2010 ISBN: 978-84-7506-916-6 Availability: SOLD OUT SECOND EDITION IN THE PRODUCTION PROCESS Book made with the Sponsorship of: Daros Latinamerica Collection, Zürich, Switzerland | The Von Christierson Collection, London, England | Afrikan Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands | Cisneros-Fontanalls Foundation, Miami, USA | Alex and Carole Rosenberg, New York, USA | Brownsote Foundation, Paris, France | Caguayo Foundation, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) left, after her death, a set of essential works for contemporary printmaking. The religion and the Abakuá Secret Society (original from the African Calabar, and settled in Cuba since the 19th century) served the artist as a "cite" and a "reference" to construct a universal discourse against marginalization, frustration, fear, censorship, impotence and in favor of the search for freedom. This society, created by men and for men, stigmatizes and segregates women and, in turn, maintains strict discipline and maintains unassailable ethics and mystery. Belkis penetrated the space of the rite as far as he was allowed and studied all the sources of information at her reach. As a result, she created an overwhelming iconography and interpreted religious myth from her position as a woman, black, and Latina artist in the late 20th century. Nkame, synonymous with praise and salutation in the Abakuá language, pays tribute to a creator who left a message of life with her death.

NKAME: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE CUBAN PRINTMAKER BELKIS AYÓN (1967-1999) Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States February 6 - September 5, 2021 The traveling exhibition Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) was inaugurated on February 6, 2021, at its seventh venue, the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum. A project developed by this prestigious institution and the Belkis Ayón Estate, Havana, Cuba. The exhibition is curated by Cristina Vives. Exhibition Tour Management by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA. Photographs by Jonathan Smith. For more information, visit the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art website

NEWS Belkis Ayón at the 34th São Paulo Biennial The 34th edition of the Sao Paulo Biennial will feature the work of Belkis Ayón (Havana 1967-1999). The event, one of the most prestigious in the world and an indisputable reference for the art of our continent, will host 16 works by the renowned Cuban artist. READ MORE February, 2020: Nkame arrives at the Chicago Cultural Center The traveling exhibition Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) will be inaugurated on February 29, 2020, at its sixth venue, the Chicago Cultural Center. READ MORE IV National Collography Contest Belkis Ayón Announcement for the IV national Collography Contest Belkis Ayón. April 9-12, 2020. Cienfuegos IV Edition postponed due to the epidemiological situation with the Covid-19 READ MORE Behind the veil of a myth. New book about Belkis Ayón's artwork Behind the veil of a myth, with texts by the curator Cristina Vives, was produced by the Station Museum of Contemporary Art and the Belkis Ayón Estate. READ MORE Nkame arrives at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art in Houston, Texas After the successful presentations in different cities of the United States while traveling through this country, the exhibition Nkame. A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999), arrives at the Station Museum in Houston, Texas. READ MORE Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón, selected among the best of the art of 2017 worldwide by ARTnews magazine ... among other very important contemporary art exhibitions of the year, Nkame ... was selected in position number 4, among the best exhibitions in the world of the year 2017 ... READ MORE Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printamker Belkis Ayón, selected among the best of art of 2017 by the New York Times Nkame featured this summer at Museo del Barrio, NY (June 13 - November 5) was selected among the best of the art of 2017 by the New York Times ... READ MORE Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) at the Museo del Barrio, New York. The exhibition Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón will be inaugurated at the Museo del Barrio in New York on June 13. This will be the second venue to host the artist's first personal exhibition at an institution in the United States ... READ MORE Nkame: A Retrospective of the Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayon (1967-1999) at the Fowler Museum at UCLA This will be the artist's first personal exhibition at an institution in the United States. The exhibition brings together 43 works and a documentary by the American filmmaker Sun Meidia ... READ MORE Memories Belkis Ayón's work will be part of the exhibition "Memories" that will open next Thursday, April 14 at 6:00 pm in the Gallery Orígenes of the Gran Teatro de La Habana «Alicia Alonso». READ MORE The 2015 Palma Digital Prize is awarded to the website of the artist Belkis Ayón READ MORE An interdisciplinary course in order to improve English language skills The mysterious character in the image is a student who selected the piece by Belkis Ayón and covered his face alluding to the work it represented ... READ MORE Callaloo Art & Culture in the African Diaspora Magazine illustrated its cover with the piece La Cena, 1988 by Belkis Ayón Issue 4 of the Callaloo Art & Culture in the African Diaspora Magazine illustrated its cover with the piece La Cena de 1988 by Belkis Ayón, of which we can find a dossier with more of her works and specific aspects of her artistic life. READ MORE Agglutinated between the esoteric and the Manic Art Under the title of Witches, but also Warlocks, the Aglutinador space and the Maniac Art Museum these days exhibit a sui generis sample that blends art with rites and religious beliefs from different parts of the planet. READ MORE The book Nkame wins Second Prize for the best books published in Spain in 2010 The Ministry of Culture of Spain has awarded the Awards for the Best Edited Books in 2010. These awards do not have an economic endowment but are highly valued by publishers for what they mean of recognition and prestige to their editorial work, as well as for the dissemination that it entails, being included in the book promotion actions and exhibited at the main national and international fairs. READ MORE Curatorship Award 2009 The National Council of Plastic Arts presents the CURATORSHIP AWARD to Cristina Vives for NKAME. BELKIS AYÓN (1967-1999). ANTHOLOGICAL EXHIBITION. READ MORE Book NKAME. Belkis Ayón The National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Council of Plastic Arts, José A. Figueroa, and the Belkis Ayón Estate presented at the MNBA Theater. ARTE CUBANO Building, the books: NKAME, Belkis Ayón and José A. Figueroa. A Cuban Self-Portrait. READ MORE

DESASOSIEGO/RESTLESSNESS Couturier Gallery, Los Angeles, California, United States. March, 1998 Catalog text: Belkis Ayón. Desasosiego/ Restlessness. When Darrel Couturier sent the request by fax for the title for this exhibition I still did not have it, I had not even thought about it, to be honest. That day I had a great commitment to attend the opening of the first personal exhibition of two of my students. After finishing my work as a spectator and as a guardian angel (teacher), I went to my friend Cristina's house where I would meet Rafa who would bring the letter to Darrel with the title of the exhibition. When I left, still nothing occurred to me - I entered a state of desperation imperceptible to the eye - again showing my moderate personality, except to laugh and do large collographies. I thought about the works that I had already finished and I asked myself what feelings they have in common since I have been working on the subject for years in general - and I associate it a little with what I have been feeling in recent months, a great RESTLESSNESS, something that almost unconsciously began to appear in my work. As I mentioned earlier, the subject that I have been working on for years since I began to study in the third year of San Alejandro Academy, it's one of the components of the Cuban culture on the African side, the carabalíes and from them, the Abakuá Secret Society composed only by men, which emerged in the 1830s in the 19th century in Cuba. Above all, I intend to give my vision, my point of view as an observer, presenting in a synthetic way the aesthetic, plastic, and poetic aspect that I have discovered in Abakuá, relating it to the questioning of the nature of man, with personal experiences, that feeling that sometimes captures us and we do not know how to define them, with those fleeting emotions, with the spiritual incorporating symbols from other cultures that I use to express my ideas with greater richness and quality. I work with characters such as the leopard man, identifying with him the power, the composition, the aggression of society, a male who sacrifices Sikán, a woman who discovers the secret and dies for the sake of passing it to men, and not disappearing. The secret consisted of a voice, a SACRED VOICE, produced by a FISH discovered by her when she returned from the river, the fish was the reincarnation of Old Obón, Tanzé, of Abasí, the Supreme God. The transmission of the sacred voice was finally settled on the hide of a goat vibrating on the sacred drum of EKUE. My images come to them through the engraving technique of collography, which consists of a kind of collage printed with a wide variety of materials placed and glued on a cardboard support. Sikán, a woman who prevails in the works presented, because she, like me, lived and lives through me in restlessness, insistently looking for a way out. Belkis Ayón Havana, Cuba, January 1998.