KCHO Alexis Leyva Machado

KCHO

Todos los Materiales, 2007

78 3/4 x 157 1/2 in. (200 x 400 cm)

KCHO was born in 1970, Nueva Gerona, Isla de Pinos. He graduated from the Elementary Art School of Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, in 1986, and from the National School of Arts in Havana in 1990. He began his artistic training there and soon after moved to Havana, where he completed his studies and currently lives and works. He is today one of the most important artist of his generation and his work can be found in prestigious museums and institutions around the world. Among those we can mention MOMA, New York; theNational Museum of Fine Arts in Havana, Cuba; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofa, Madrid, Spain; Museo Van Reekum, Apendoorn, Netherlands and the Centro de Arte Walker, Minneapolis, just to mention a few.

He appeared on the Cuban scene in the early 90s with a very unique style. In a decade marked by an increasing migration process it is not a surprise that his work gravitated towards that theme. He chooses to portray the drama of the Cuban migration, specifically the perilous voyage by sea. The dangers of that type of trip are represented in the innertubes, boats and oars that he uses to create his pieces. The scared surfaces, the aggressive and sketch-like lines are allusive to the difficulties involved in the process. The lonely and scattered pieces suggest abandonment and death, portraying a grim scenario of what can happen in the vast and immensity of the sea.