Artepoli magazine has frequently explored the extensive collection housed at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas. At its heart lies the Rodríguez Collection, comprising over a thousand works, predominantly by Cuban artists. Over the past two years, following the transformation of the Kendall Art Center into a museum, the collection has been enriched through acquisitions and donations from artists across the Americas. Among the foundational group of creators closely aligned with the KAC is Pedro Ávila Gendis, a Cuban artist and a seminal figure within South Florida's abstract art scene. The museum proudly holds a dozen of his medium- and large-format canvases, alongside ten original ceramic plates. Notably, Ávila was the first artist to have a solo exhibition at the former Kendall Art Center.
Curated by Raisa Clavijo, Ávila’s exhibition Shared Secrets brought together a selection of works from three of his most significant series at the time: The Voice of the Earth, Sublime Landscapes, and Inner Space, all created between 2012 and 2016. Roxana M. Bermejo, in her essay accompanying the exhibition (The Odyssey of Pedro Ávila Gendis), insightfully remarked:
"Like many of his compatriots, Ávila carried the sea within his suitcase—or, more accurately, the condition of being an islander, a reality that pervades his identity as both artist and individual. Pedro Ávila (…) is a gestural, expressionist artist, an abstractionist in the truest sense. Perhaps it’s a matter of empathy, or perhaps the unshakable circumstance of an artist and a viewer who share the same island deep within their being. And the sea—oh, the sea!—is invariably a recurring motif for any Cuban. In my reading, it imbues each of the series represented in this exhibition: The Voice of the Earth, Sublime Landscapes, and Inner Space.”
Bermejo continues, "Ultimately, this peculiar sensation of suspended nature, of oceanic depth… may be merely my own projection, a personal longing for a return to origins, retracing paths already traveled. Yet, I know I’m not alone in feeling the absence of the Cuban sea here in Florida. It is for this reason I wholeheartedly recommend experiencing Ávila’s work firsthand. Entering the gallery, one can almost feel the moisture emanating from his paintings. Ávila’s sea (or non-sea) unfailingly reminds me of Miguel Ángel Asturias’ immortal poem:
‘Intimate friend of dreams, Ulysses / returned to his destiny of mist, / as if journeying back from other lands / to his homeland. For he was born of salt and sea.’
This issue of Artepoli opens with an essay that delves into the genre of abstraction while reflecting on the painting featured on its cover. The editorial team describes it as one of Ávila’s most accomplished works of recent years:
*"The painting gracing our cover begins to communicate in a profoundly evocative manner, starting with its title: The Light of the Old Jetty. The impact of the diagonal yellow stroke dominating the upper section immediately evokes light—a light that, though enveloped by a nuanced atmosphere, remains undeniably prominent. Within Ávila’s extensive oeuvre, we believe this painting stands as one of his most remarkable achievements.
What is striking is the coexistence of two distinctly different zones in terms of treatment, color usage, and texture. These contrasting realms are united by a stepped architectural border. The black planes, juxtaposed with neighboring textures, are distributed with precision, offering the viewer visual reprieve. They lend solidity to the rocky forms in the lower section, akin to the harsh shadows cast by blocks of cement suggestive of buildings. One even glimpses a staircase, underscoring the inescapable ties between pure abstraction and the tangible world. It is impossible not to draw analogies to familiar references.
While abstraction immerses us in a realm of pure forms, it remains intrinsically connected to reality. The aesthetic experience offered by this piece is deeply rooted in our relationship with space, light, and our very existence. In contrast to the structured forms below, the painting’s upper section captivates with its subtle gradations of color, creating an atmosphere of serene harmony. Each brushstroke contributes to the prominence of the yellow stain, while the surrounding tones establish a precise balance that enables it to take center stage. The composition’s cohesion is achieved through a network of sweeping lines that transcend the stepped boundary, elegantly binding the elements together. These curves, reminiscent of Klee’s assertion that 'a line is a dot that went for a walk,' imbue the work with a dynamic vitality.*
Since the establishment of Los Once and, later, Diez Pintores Concretos, Cuban abstraction has never ceased to evolve. Despite a decline in the 1980s, the new millennium witnessed a resurgence of abstraction, both within Cuba and throughout the diaspora. Engaging with the work of Pedro Ávila Gendis offers an intimate encounter with one of the vital voices of contemporary Cuban abstraction."
In summary, many specialists agree that Pedro Ávila Gendis’ work finds in gestural abstraction the liberty to articulate his inner world. Unlike the restrained expressions typical of other Cuban abstractionists, Ávila’s art is a cathartic release, where pigment is freely dribbled, splashed, or smeared onto the canvas. His calculated use of color, contrasted with dynamic blacks and luminous whites, fosters a deeply expressive narrative that invites viewers to explore multiple interpretations.
Pedro Ávila Gendis (b. 1959, Camagüey, Cuba) graduated in Fine Arts at the Ignacio Agramonte Cultural Center in 1975. His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S., Cuba, Spain, and Latin America, with pieces included in public art projects at the University of Havana, Faro City (Portugal), Hemingway Marina (Havana), and the Oasis, Turquesa, and Villa Cuba hotels in Varadero, Matanzas. His paintings are part of numerous private collections in the U.S., Cuba, Spain, Portugal, and Austria, among other countries.
