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Kcho (Alexis Leiva Machado), (Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, 1970). Kcho has created a deeply personal and distinctly Cuban cosmos, one that functions socially through the ingenuity of its conception and the nature of its components. His work stands as a paradigm of a unique artistic universe, the result of an ever-growing interest that intensifies his exploration in this direction, allowing the scope of his creative activity to surpass expectations.
Education
1983–86: Nueva Gerona Elementary Art School, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
1986–90: National School of Plastic Arts, Havana, Cuba
Solo Exhibitions (Selected)
2014
Strange Day at the Beach, San Agustín Arts Center, Oaxaca, Mexico
Via Crucis, Vatican Chancellery Palace, Holy See, Rome, Italy
The Thinker, Contemporary Art Space “The Ship”, Kcho Studio Romerillo Art Laboratory, Havana, Cuba
2013
Final Monument, Tega Gallery, Milan, Italy
2012
Cuba, Nice to Meet You, National Museum of Brazil, Brasília, Brazil
Between Melancholy and the Construction of the New Man, 11th Havana Biennial, Fortress San Carlos de La Cabaña, Havana
Sacrifice at the Crossroads, Gran Teatro de La Habana, Havana, Cuba
2011
Live and Let Live, Martha Machado Gallery, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Anchored by a Dream, Museum 26-7, Santiago de Cuba
Final Monument, Grimani Palace, 54th Venice Biennale, Italy
Between Stone, Metal and Wood, La Jiribilla, Havana, Cuba
Recent Works, Marlborough Gallery, Monaco, Monte Carlo
Night Vision, Marlborough Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2010
Live and Let Live, Línea and L Park, Havana
Developed the (unpublished) exhibition project The Dangers of Forgetting during his work with the Martha Machado Brigade in Haiti (March 6 – April 12)
2008–2009
Created a significant drawing series titled With Feet on the Ground (unpublished, charcoal on paper) during work with the Martha Machado Brigade in the carbonero community of Soplillar, Matanzas, Cuba
2008
Family Reunification Chain, Marlborough Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA
2007
The Notebook of the Man with Clay Feet, Juan Ruiz Gallery, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Delaying the Inevitable, Marlborough Gallery, Madrid, Spain
The Journey, Museum of Contemporary Art, Panama City
2006
Pass of the Winds, Joan Prats Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Live and Let Live, 9th Havana Biennial, Old Havana and La Casona Gallery
Kcho’s Ship, Santa Barbara Castle, Alicante, Spain
The Cuban Arrived, Alonso Garcés Gallery, Bogotá, Colombia
2005–1985
(Exhibitions continue extensively with solo shows in major institutions and biennials across the Americas, Europe, and Asia including ARCO Madrid, Kunsthalle Attersee, Reina Sofía Museum, MAC Panama, Havana Biennials, and more)
Group Exhibitions (Selected)
Participation in over 100 major international and national group exhibitions from 1985 to 2013, including:
Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India
Venice Biennale (48th, 54th)
São Paulo Biennial
Havana Biennials (4th–11th editions)
Istanbul, Johannesburg, and Kwangju Biennials
MoMA in El Museo del Barrio, NYC
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana
Ludwig Museum, Germany
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Fundación Telefónica, Madrid
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Deste Foundation, Athens
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Long Beach
SITE Santa Fe, USA
Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid
Museo Alejandro Otero, Caracas
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Zulia
Museo Nacional de la Estampa, Mexico City
Collective Murals and Public Projects
2010
Wall Against War, Monument to the Maine, Havana
2009–2003
Mission Victory, Santiago de Cuba
Acquitted by History and Long Live Free Cuba!, Santiago de Cuba
Ark of Liberty and Five Palms, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana
No to War, Havana
Cuban-ness, Hotel Nacional
Donation to the International Nursing School
2002
US Independence Day Commemoration, Karl Marx Theater, Havana
Revolution, Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud
Hotel Inglaterra 127th Anniversary, Havana