Image: Belkis Ayón, La cena (detail), 1993. Eduardo F. Costantini Collection
MALBA in Buenos Aires is presenting ‘Belkis Ayón: Myth and Disobedience’ through 12 October 2026. The exhibition, on Level -1, brings together seven works from the Malba–Costantini Collection, made between 1991 and 1998.
Ayón (Havana, 1967–1999) used collagraphy, a printmaking technique based on matrices constructed as collages of materials, generally on cardboard plates. The process enabled a language of varied textures and tonal nuances.
The exhibition focuses on Ayón’s engagement with the myth of the Abakuá Secret Society, a male brotherhood originating in the Calabar region of present-day Nigeria that arrived in Cuba in the 19th century through the trafficking of enslaved African people. Her works repeatedly feature Sikán, a central figure in the Abakuá founding myth, whom Ayón reinterpreted to question the brotherhood’s patriarchal character.
María Amalia García, Alejandra Aguado and Nancy Rojas curate the exhibition. Guided visits take place on Mondays at 17:00.
