Fragments from Alexis Leyva Machado, Kcho`s interview, made by journalist Mario Jorge Muñoz.

... Having twenty years, that big-and-fat boy looked like a basketball player rather than a plastic creator... Kcho... was lucky for arriving to the world through a muse, his mother. Martha, a cultural promoter, ready to offer help to every good people in the island (Isla de la Juventud)...shaped his son through years. However, she never could imagine your big child, always smiling, with who she listened at night the unforgettable voices of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, could become an outstanding plastic artist sharing spaces with Wifredo Lam at Modern Art Museum of New York and gaining the Great Prize of Kwang-Ju Biennial from South Corea and Prize of United Nations Funds for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) for arts promotion...plus the invitation in 99 to work at the remarkable Calder Atelier, France.

- Who is Kcho?-

These times are for auto-restating, to revise things, I'm and will be Martha's son forever. This is Kcho, nothing more. He gave me life, raised me working very hard becuase we're various brothers. She died 8 eight years ago. I've always tried to do my best to show, her huge efforts were not vain. The most important thing in my career, above all I've done is the fact of having place my mother`s name high, to revere her.

The first drawing lesson came from my mother and it changed my life when I was 13 years old. I draw today thanks to that lesson. That day I was afraid of the creation act, but I liked it. My mother took my hand and draw what I wanted but she broke it immediately and said: Now, do it yourself. The influence of my family have been total. Each matter defining my work has to do with my home. I transpired art through my entire house. Art made me realize my home was unique. The school helped me to look more towards my house.

-Why do you prefer to work with drossy materials?

I like to work with old materials because they hold great energy, a huge light. I don't use garbage but past life. It has been vital for my work. Those materials have a former history. My pieces are concentrated in that energy, which gave in addittion participation to other materials.

-Where does your work begin?-

Regurlarly by the title. They already have title before existing. Always the first motivation is an idea. It could be a word or a sentence. All start by this.

-Great part of your work is made by assemblages, however, you spend a lot of time drawing, why?

I like drawing for its intensity. It's like poetry. It's meditation, clear and precise idea, with no much words. It's the essence.

-Do you have special places for creation?

All places are useful for me. It's a very strong need. I've never have a studio in Cuba and it represents knowledge for me. Because I'm always creating and I do it anywhere. In my head I can transform a little piece of paper in studio. Now I'm accustomed, I can do the installation for a museum salon having thousands of meters in just a napkin. All is here in my head. In this sense such scarcity helped me, made me strong.

- Why migration is a permanent theme in your works?

In the contemporary world, themes are dissolved and what we certainly can perceive are problematic situations. Modern life, for example, is surrounded by so different phenomenons that we can hardly classify it within a unique theme. Then, each work is a different world, having in addition a different idea.
World is made by migrations. From South to North, people is travelling trying to improve their life conditions. Huge human movements are greater each time and no matter the reasons for these migrations, there's always someone close as part of this process.

For example, any Cuban family can have one of its members far away or someone who jumped to the sea trying to arrive to United States.

We're all close, at home, in the neighborhood, at school, it's part of daily life. Cuban people is very friendly. All hapiness and sorrow coming from close persons is also part of them. Those persons set apart don't disappear. They can't be obviated, because they are part of our life and history. I like to have the possibility of devoting an space for those persons, for this so universal topic. It's my way of giving some light in parts of that so respectable history. Because a fair society can`t forget anyone.

- Have been embarrasing for you the approaching of those so sensible topics for Cubans?

Mi work have been attacked with horrible, superficial, too banal considerations. Some even have used it to make political speculations. Most of this opinions, -I can't call them as analysis or reflections, because they are not serious- come from Cuban who are not living in the country. Dark people, who quicky ask if you're Cuban from here or there. They can't understand Cubans are only from one side. Anyway I find these kind of people when I was outside the island. When I made ''Regata'', many persons called me counterrevolutionary, unpatriotic, antisocial... and I just made an artwork. Nothing more than that.

I`ve never ask for permission to create. That`s why, I`ve made a lot of works about which people has declared me unpatriotic or State Security Agent. However, the critic and foreign people perceive my work in a different way. This is migration topic, a permanent flow of persons looking for job and better way to live which is everybody`s concern. I don`t worry so much for that. The major thing for me is how my work allows people to see life in a different way, it`s capable to impress them and, above all, impress me.

I`m not a spoiler of my country culture. As part of its life, I will always be there. Otherwise, my art will lose sense.

-The sea, another obsession?

I`ve never understand why in Cuba, an island, sea is considered as something dangerous, when it really is something close, so dear. The truth is, its beautiful and dangerous at the same time, but all things defining Cuba came through the sea. The discovering of the island, Granma, Invasion to Girón... many things are related to Cuba history and the sea. We forgot it`s the door to our house. So, we have to take care of it. It`s the invisible frontier, and the only permanent fact in Cuba is we will always be an island.

For me, sea is something very important. I also know its value for all Cubans for the histories it includes. My goal is to help to think, to reflect about all those themes. Artists move ideas and it`s a great responsability.

- Taking into account some titles of your works citing ''La Jungla'' and series ''Kanaima'', is evident Wifredo Lam`s work has been remarkable to you.


I made ''Trabajo de clase'' in 1983, it was the outcome of an exercise to made at all levels of Plastic Arts Education. You have to select a masteful painting and made it in a different way. It`s necessary to unveil his technique. I chose Wifredo Lam, because, since many years ago a vignette of him published in Isla Magazine called my attention. I had no idea then about how Lam did such things, so I tried to put it on a paper, imitate, how I think he painted. Being 13 years old, my basic tools were tempera and watercolors. I had oil because Mom gave it to me and used linaza oil to achieved a transparency. I meet Lam due to his artwork ''Tercer Mundo''. I found it in Revolución y Cultura Magazine, which kept me inform about what was happening in the country. Besides, his work is very appreciated for my mother. As the time passed, Lam became closer to me , his artwork appeared everywhere. However, at school they teached me he was one more luminary among other Cuban painters, without assessing his real value. To me, Lam and its ''Jungla'' showed me the grandiosity of Modern Art Museum in New York (MOMA).

In January of 1996, the museum had already my work, when I had the opportunity of visiting it, I went to see his work. What I like the most is the fact I`m with him. ''La Jungla'' (2001) is the outcome of that knowledge and admiration for Lam. In any museum I have exhibited, he was already there. Some time ago, I arrived to Museum of Israel and I inmediately asked for Lam`s collection. He was there, I found it at the following day. It`s pretty. ''Canaima'' is the title for a series of small canvas and paper Lam made there when he travelled to Venezuela, where there`s a National Park under his name. He painted bears with thorns and fangs. The titles was useful for me to do a group of works. I call them dangerous objects, I left the name of "Kanaima'' with K, for Lam reference. ''Los peligros del Olvido'' (assemblage), has also to do with Lam's glance, always interesed in get deeper in our peoples culture. While the great masters of European culture were still looking the rest of the world with Colonial eyes, Lam held all that flood of cultures mixture as part of his natural history, his own life. He worked with masks. My mother liked them very much.

A few time ago, in Sao Paulo, I made contact with a Belgian collector, who was auctioning his masks collection and I bought it , they are very good. What I`m trying to express is that it`s impossible to forget our culture, our roots. It`s to make and SOS to what might imply disregard of what we are, the importance of our natal land. It`s impossible to forget Lam, he opened the Cuban Art doors to the world, keeping them opened, easing things to exhibit our culture. He was a great painter, one of the greater of this continent, gaining respect of other luminaries, Picasso, Bretón... It made possible our respect around the entire world. This is the door through which I entered with other Cuban artits. ''La Jungla'' and ''Kanaima'' serie, were things I was planning long time ago to honor Lam, as a sort of thanks act for his undoubted role within Cuban culture as divulger of it around the entire world. He is a light over the island.

- Many assemblages, made with old materials could be damaged. Aren`t you afraid of the so-called artwork durability?

I believe the works durability is determined by the idea. I`m not God. I won`t live one thousand years. I`m an ordinary human being interesed in doing things as best as I can. If there`s a real final judgment, they will analize if you was good person, what did you did for other people, whether you took advantage of your talent or not. The most important thing is the place you have in people`s heart . The public place you in heaven or hell.

- What do you do in your leisure time?

When I`m not creating I just fall in love with everything. I spent many time with my friends, with people I love and love me. It`s also creation. Create is also love. I love also fishing, movies and music, Jazz above all.


- You managed to success in a very competitive world, ruled by market laws. What are the reasons for such success?

I don`t have secrets: I`m a son of a successful land. This country is great due to their sons. It`s a leading country for very beautiful things. It has many things to do yet. For example, Cuba is full of goodness. This is a proper characteristic of this country, because the entire world is lacking goodness. And I didn`t invent all this. I just learned the lesson.


Taken from Caimán Barbudo