Artist Talk: Reynier Leyva Novo
Remnants
of
ideology,
markers
of
absence,
and
the
ephemerality
of
revolution
are
embedded
in
recognizable
sites
of
memory,
power,
and
public
space
around
us.
Locating
these
layered
and
often
obscured
traces
of
political
presence,
multidisciplinary
artist
Reynier
Leyva
Novo
excavates
–
and
elevates
–
historical
archives
and
imagery
into
today.
In
so
doing,
he
deepens
conversations
surrounding
the
space,
memory,
and
narratives
of
the
past
made
manifest
in
the
present
and
future.
Former
Present
Today
is
the
first
solo
museum
exhibition
in
Texas
for
the
Cuban
conceptual
artist
and
reflects
upon
re-imagined
space,
public
monuments,
and
collective
memory
in
nationalist
ideology
and
the
failed
journey
to
social
utopia.
Relocating
from
Havana
to
Houston
in
2021,
Novo
combines
research
and
observation
into
the
icons
of
memorialization
to
present
perspectives
across
a
multitude
of
global
political
contexts.
This
process
underscores
power
within
artistic
practice
to
challenge
prevailing
narratives,
confront
historical
truths,
and
deconstruct
myths.
The
artist
simultaneously
reveals
and
conceals
structures,
emblems,
and
figureheads
entrenched
in
the
public
imaginary
to
propose
alternative
forms
of
memory-keeping
in
whispers,
traces,
and
fleeting
remains
of
life.
Across
large-scale
sculptural
installation
to
the
subtle
delicacy
of
a
flower,
Novo
creates
powerful
interventionist
responses
to
spaces
of
monumentality
to
consider
the
complexity
of
political
landscapes
and
unseen
dimensions
that
shape
our
collective
memory
and
present
reality.
