Belkis Ayon: Nkame Mafimba

Revised and expanded edition of the definitive reference on Belkis Ayón''s intense and spiritual collagraphs

The Cuban artist Belkis Ayón (1967–99) mined the myths of the Afro-Cuban fraternal society Abakuá to create a powerful visual iconography engaged with oral tradition. She places a particular emphasis on the imaginaries of the secret society and the female figure of Sikán or Sikánekue, whose foundational sacrifice appears in numerous prints. Ayón’s work is framed within collagraphy, in which the substitution of metal supports and the use of accessible materials such as sand, fabrics and newspapers prevail. Numerous Abakuán rituals are represented in her collagraphs, many of which draw on Christian as well as Afro-Cuban traditions. This second expanded edition of the definitive publication on Ayón (and the only one to be approved by her estate) includes the matrices of her prints and new discoveries such as sketches and ceramics, in addition to critical responses published in recent years, providing art lovers and researchers with essential sources for understanding the career, life and legacy of this vital artist.

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