Born in the capital on December 15, 1944, and soon to turn 81, Manuel Mendive Hoyos came into the world to be part of art. In an old wooden house in the Luyanó neighborhood, the man who is now a painter, draftsman, sculptor, installation artist, printmaker, muralist, and performance artist saw the light.

When asked about the pillar of his existence, he has said: “Mine is the Yoruba religion, it’s faith, mysticism, truth; and my pillars are also kindness and gentleness.”

His Vision in Art

The genesis of his creative quest lies in discovering the mystery of creation through his own energy, emanating from the orishas of the Yoruba pantheon. His works reflect this telluric force.

After this attempt to unveil Cuban identity, driven by the social process itself, Mendive emerged with a poetics possessing a powerful lyricism, an expression of wisdom linked to his roots.

But many will want to know how this man with such a cosmogony trained himself.
Before becoming a fully realized artist, he had a childhood that early on indicated what his definitive path would be.
There’s talk of his grandfather's influence. Mendive claims not to have known him; but he inherited a love for music because his grandfather sang and played the guitar. He also sculpted figures in wood, rudimentary yet highly expressive, according to his grandson.

At age 11, he won his first prize. It was a drawing of his mother cooking, submitted to an International Children's Painting Competition in Japan, organized by UNESCO.

His time at the Academy

In the early 1960s, he graduated with honors in sculpture and painting from San Alejandro School of Arts. He complemented his studies with courses in Ethnology and Folklore at the Cuban Academy of Sciences and in Art History at the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana.

He was a student of outstanding professionals such as Florencio Gelabert and also immersed himself in the work of Don Fernando Ortiz, whom he considers a master.
At the National Drawing Salon in Havana in 1967, he received an award, which he valued highly given the importance of such events for young artists and their role as a platform for self-expression and public recognition.

He participated in several events, and in 1968, he won the Adam Montparnasse collective prize for young painters at the prestigious Parisian Salon de Mai. This earned him a scholarship when he was 23 years old.

Mendive also participated in several editions of the Havana Biennials. For example, at the first Biennial in 1984, he received the "Latin American Space" Award for a visual art performance.

That performance is still fondly remembered: painted bodies of dancers from the National Folkloric Ensemble and the maestro Lázaro Roos singing. Witnesses to the event recount that it was truly something remarkable.

This demonstrates his enduring connection to folklore, ballet, and the Contemporary Dance Company, as he greatly enjoys music, dance... all art.
He considers the Havana gatherings a significant cultural event. He has emphasized that these forums gave him the opportunity to meet many African colleagues, and he continues to meet with them whenever he travels to that continent. He has also encountered the work of other artists from the developing world, which he equally values.
It has been said that his “cosmogony is magical-religious,” and regarding this, he confessed in an interview: “It can be magical, it can be religious, it can be mystical: it can be everything.”

He is characterized by working with the most varied supports: from the trunk of a palm tree, the pores of a canvas or cardboard, and skin. He likes to vary his approach because the work demands it and he desires it.

Experts affirm that, undoubtedly, in the Cuban context, he is the one who has most successfully and consistently explored what’s known as body art, that ancient tradition of dance and body painting.

To which he has responded that his interest in using skin has always been his own. It’s nothing new and was already used in ancient cultures.
His performances become very captivating because he paints the dancers in the act itself, while they continue dancing, and he is part of the whole.

Manto Blanco

His deep attachment to nature and animals led him to settle in Manto Blanco. He often admits, “I dreamed of living in a place like this; I longed to be surrounded by royal palms, fruit trees, and animals, because where I was born, smoke and noise were the regular thing.”

There, he is always drawing and insists that he wants his audience to understand what he is expressing.

“Painting is about saying things, not doing something and feeling nothing,” he explains whenever he addresses this aspect of his work.

Specialized critics assert that he is “one of the most prestigious contemporary visual artists, both nationally and internationally, that Cuba has produced” and that he ranks alongside some of the truly essential figures. Does he see this as a burden? “No, I see it as a responsibility,” a sentiment he reiterates to the press that follows him around the world.

He has traveled to many African nations, including Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, and Egypt. Regarding this, he commented: "I never feel like a stranger anywhere. I've never felt like a foreigner in any country because I think everyone understands me."

Among the distinctions he has received are: the UNESCO Five Continents Medal in 2009, the National Prize for Visual Arts in 2001, awarded by Cuba; the Order of Knight of Arts and Letters from the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie of the French Republic; and the Félix Varela Order from the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, the latter two in 1994.

And of course, he says that the same question is common in his meetings with journalists: "What does Cuba mean to you?" He answers without much thought: “The land where I was born, my landscape, the light… and when I’m abroad, I miss everything: the rooster’s crow, the animals, the palm trees, the vegetation in general, the mockingbird, the good people…”

This connection remains permanent with Cuba, the island, where in his hometown—10 de Octubre—there’s a gallery bearing his name, and this artist’s pieces are on display for all to see.

Through his artistic work, the man is present, the one who, from Luyanó, projected himself out onto the world stage.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff