Bildmuseet: Belkis Ayón / Mythologies

Belkis Ayón (1967–1999) is one of Cuba’s most prominent artists. In the first Nordic presentation of the artist’s work, Bildmuseet presents creative highlights from her brief but intense career, from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s.

The exhibition will be previewed to the media by arrangement from Monday 19 May. Please contact us with your requests.

The figures, symbols and rituals that feature in Belkis Ayón’s monumental works are drawn from the Abakuá, a secretive Afro-Cuban brotherhood that she explored throughout her artistic career. Her interpretations of their myths speak of belonging, silence, power and resistance, introducing ideas about the amalgamation of religions and belief systems. Ayón’s iconic works create their own universe of traditions, hierarchies and worldviews.

In particular, she focused on the female character Sikán, who – despite her central role in Abakuá mythology – had been excluded from religious practice. By giving a voice to Sikán and other silenced figures, Ayón challenged both religious and societal power structures in Cuban society. Her work dates back to a period of economic crisis and profound uncertainty in Cuba, issues reflected by artists of her generation. As a woman and an atheist, her works proposed a radical new mythology through which to reinterpret history and influence the future.

By pushing the boundaries of collography – a graphic technique in which materials such as paper, cardboard, and sandpaper are glued onto cardboard to create the printing plates – she developed a deeply personal visual imagery. Working with great technical skill, a sensitivity to the expression of the material and a limited colour palette, she created a multi-layered pictorial world, in which myths and dreams come together in an existential search and politically charged symbolism.

Ayón never intended to reproduce and perpetuate the Abakuá myth exactly as it was. Instead, she created a new iconography to bring together its visual and poetic elements, adding her own interpretations and inviting the audience to add theirs. Belkis Ayón’s work is a timeless and universal contemplation on the human condition and spiritual yearning.

Belkis Ayón / Mythologies will be on display from 23 May until 23 November 2025. The exhibition has been produced by Bildmuseet, Sweden, in collaboration with The Gund at Kenyon College in Ohio, USA. Curators: Katarina Pierre, Brita Täljedal and Sandra García Herrera.

With thanks to the Belkis Ayón Estate, Havana, and to Modern Art Oxford.

MEDIA PREVIEWS FROM 19 MAY

Media previews will be available by arrangement from Monday, 19 May. Please send your requests to press.bildmuseet@umu.se. Press images.

OPENING: ART FRIDAY, 23 MAY, 17:00–00:00

The exhibition will be opened at 19:00 by museum director Katarina Pierre in the presence of representatives of the Belkis Ayón Estate. At 20:00, museum curator Brita Täljedal will give a curator’s tour. Umeå Academy of Fine Arts’ Master’s exhibition, Infinite Proposals, will also be unveiled during the evening. The evening will include performances, tours, an open workshop and DJs, and the bar and restaurant will also be open.

TALKS AND EVENTS

A programme in connection with Belkis Ayón / Mythologies will take place during the autumn. Daily guided tours will also be given throughout the exhibition period.

Contact

For any questions about media previews and interviews:

Helena Vejbrink, press contact

helena.vejbrink@bildmuseet.umu.se, +46 90 786 9073

For more information about the exhibition:

Brita Täljedal, museum curator

brita.taljedal@bildmuseet.umu.se, +46 90 786 7714