Sikán Illuminations: art and spirituality in the UK

Fifty pieces make up the collography exhibition that recreates the cultural and spiritual world of the Abakuá. The prints are the work of artist Belkis and will be on display until 9 February 2025 at Modern Art Oxford.

The National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba highlights the progress of the exhibition ‘Belkis Ayón: Illuminations of Sikán’, which opened on 2 November at Modern Art Oxford, UK.

The exhibition is curated by the specialist Corina Matamoros and by Sandra García Herrera, of the Los Carbonell Foundation, with the English gallery and the Estate Belkis Ayón, Havana, joining forces for the exhibition.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue that includes texts by Matamoros and Lázara Menéndez, Jaime Sarusky’s interview with the remembered artist, dated 1999, and a detailed chronology of Ayón’s work, written by Sandra García Herrera. For its part, Modern Art Oxford states on its website that the exhibition examines the brief but intense career of Cuban artist Belkis Ayón (1967-1999).

Ayón is described as one of the most outstanding figures of 20th century Cuban art and it is pointed out that this is the first major exhibition of his work in a UK institution.

The exhibition consists of 50 pieces belonging to the Belkis Ayón Estate, based in Havana.

Using a printing process called collography, the artist harnessed her technical skills and innovative use of this method to produce richly detailed and enigmatic works of art that recreate the cultural and spiritual world of the Abakuá.

The Abakuá secret society, a predominantly black male Cuban religious group originating from West African tribes and ritual traditions, served as a source of inspiration for Ayón throughout his life.

Modern Art Oxford also mentions that the Cuban artist explored the Abakuá heritage by focusing on the mythical female figure of Sikán.

The Abakuá origin story is reinterpreted by making Sikán’s emotions and struggles visible in her imagery, and by combining them with her own ideas and life experiences as a black Cuban woman.

Ayón’s work, as summarised by Modern Art Oxford, challenges social norms and creates a space for imagining alternative possibilities of spirituality and gender equality. Click here for more information.