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).