Manuel Mendive
Bio
Manuel Mendive is possibly the leading Afro-Cuban artist working today. He is unquestionably considered a visionary artist, whose work is permeated with the spirits of Afro-Cuban religions and has inspired and influenced many other artists.
Born in 1944 in La Habana, Cuba to a family which practiced Santeria. He received a conventional art education at the Academy of San Alejandro with a concentration in painting and sculpture. His mature work brought Mendive back to his Afro-Cuban roots. An initiate in Santeria and Palo Monte, he uses and practices Afro-Cuban imagery to examine the questions of contemporary life. His travels to Africa unquestionably influenced his work.
Mendive has exhibited at major museums around the world and is included in the leading collections of Cuban art.
Statement
I come from myself, and I always find myself in the deepest part of me.
The elements of Afro-Cuban culture are motivation and breath to make my great discourse, death, life, and everything there is in them, good, evil and the most beautiful moments, to know everything that exists in ourselves.
I live with my ancestors and my gods.
Long live the world.
Ashe
Manuel Mendive
