Latin Art Core in Little Havana is currently presenting “With the new day, the sun shines and leads us” by Cuban artist Manuel Mendive.
Latin Art Core in Little Havana is currently presenting “With the new day, the sun shines and leads us” by Cuban artist Manuel Mendive.
The show runs through Aug. 30 at the gallery located at 1648 SW 8th St., Miami.
Mendive finds inspiration in nature, which is reflected in his art.
“I am captivated by the profound relationship between the individual, spiritual energies, and the natural world, where each element intertwines in an unbreakable harmony. From the painting on bodies in my performances to the mystical signs that come to life on my canvases, everything is part of a single flow,” says Mendive, who lives and works in San Jose de Lagas, Cuba.
"El angel alimenta,"(2024), Acrylic on canvas 30 x 40 in. (Photo by Rogelio Lopez Marin)
The exhibition at Latin Art Core, which is showing Mendive’s most recent series of works created between 2023 and 2025 in addition to a curated selection of significant earlier pieces, explores the artist’s ongoing engagement with spirituality, Yoruba cosmology, and the human relationship with nature and the divine.
His sculptures also represent Yoruba culture.
“In my bronze sculptures, there is a strong connection between the spiritual, nature, and the mystical. I have worked with bronze to create figures that evoke the energy of the orishas and ancestral spirits, while maintaining an organic and symbolic style,” says Mendive.
The Afro-Cuban painter, sculptor, and performance artist’s colorful, evocative paintings and carvings-as well as his dynamic performance and body art-pay tribute to the historic and religious art forms of Africa and Cuba.
"Madre con hijo," (2024) Acrylic on canvas, 22 x 28 in. (Photo by Rogelio Lopez Marin)
Altars, masks, and dance associated with Yoruba religions have inspired his work, which brings a contemporary insight into the history of slavery and African mythologies as they transformed the Caribbean Islands. “Oya” (1967) and “Slave Ship” (1976) exemplify the artist’s primitive, minimalistic, powerful synthesis of mythology, religion, and history.
Born on Dec. 15, 1944, in Havana, Cuba, Mendive studied at the San Alejandro Academy of Plastic Arts in Havana. In the 1970s, the artist gained recognition for his unique combination of European and African styles in promoting Afro-Cuban culture. His works are in the collections of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and the Ethnographic Museum of Budapest, among others.
"Eggun y la naturaleza" (2024) Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16 in. (Photo by Rogelio Lopez Marin)
His path toward the mystical began at a young age, he says, influenced by family traditions. “My mother, my connection to Afro-Cuban spirituality, my travels to Africa, and my love of nature,” says Mendive, now 80. “Therefore, in my work, I have explored the relationship between human beings and the universe, using symbols and colors that evoke the sacred and the ancestral.”
An inspiration to young artists, Mendive has this advice to them.
“I would tell young artists to be authentic, true to their ideas, and to explore as many languages and media as possible. I would also advise them not to lose sight of their cultural identity.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “With the new day, the sun shines and leads us” by Cuban artist Manuel Mendive.
WHERE: Latin Art Core Gallery, 1648 SW 8th St., Miami
WHEN: Through Aug. 30
INFO: latinartcore.com
