Manuel Mendive Exhibit 'Nature, Spirit, and Body' Is At The Bronx Museum Of The Arts

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is pleased to present the exhibition by Afro-Cuban artist Manuel Mendive: Nature, Spirit, and Body. Mendive has developed a sophisticated and pointed examination of the influence of African oral-based traditions on Cuba through the experimental lens of contemporary art. His multidisciplinary work, ranging from sculpture to painting to performance, has become a vehicle for exploring the intersections between art, religion, philosophy, politics, ethics, and anthropology.

At the Bronx Museum, Mendive presents recent pieces focused on his continued visual interpretation of narratives of Yorùbá-Lucumí culture and wisdom literature, extending to the universal ideas and relationships between humans and nature. The immersive installation includes intricately painted sculptural chairs and ladders, transporting even those unfamiliar with their cultural legacies to a landscape rich with possibilities for individual meaning-a body of work that is both culturally specific and powerfully universal.

The new works by Mendive will be accompanied by photographs by his longtime collaborator John Rowe, documenting one of Mendive's performances with a folk dance company in the Cuban rainforest. Beautiful and incisive in their own right, the addition of Rowe's photography brings further context to the depth and breadth of Mendive's practice.

Nature, Spirit, and Body is curated by the Bronx Museum's Christine Licata. On the opening night, Licata will lead a tour of the exhibition at 5PM. Please RSVP to membership@bronxmuseum.org or call 718.681.6000 ext. 174.

Support: Manuel Mendive: Nature, Spirit, and Body is generously supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Culpeper Arts & Culture Program and Director's Circle, the Museum's premier support group.