"KCHO" ALEXIS LEYVA MACHADO (Isla de Pinos, Nueva Gerona, Cuba, 1970)."The book of exodus".Silkscreen on canvas. Copy 93/99.Signed and justified by hand.Size: 78 x 105 cm.Kcho's work has evolved from the first sculptures of the early nineties, made from woven tree branches, to large-scale installations such as the one presented in the Arsenale at the Venice Biennale in 1999. His work achieved great international renown after his inclusion in the Havana Biennial in 1994, the year in which he also took part in the exhibition Cocido y crudo (Cooked and Raw) held at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. The sea is always present in Kcho's work. His pieces refer to the Cuban landscape and therefore allude to the most decisive element of life on the island, the isolation marked by the geographical limit of the water boundary. His work evokes the maritime voyage as an ideal territory for remembrance and nostalgia. His stranded boats reflect on the phenomenon of migration, a theme from which he creates his scenographies on the journey and which speak of the impossibility of fleeing from our memory, our destiny and our roots. The objects frequently used by the Cuban artist are those he finds on his walks along the seashore and in the streets of Havana, pieces of wood, rope, clothes and glass that he manipulates and assembles to create his sculptures. The handmade character of his pieces is an essential component and refers to the culture of recycling, where everything has several uses other than those for which it was originally created.