María Magdalena Campos Pons facts for kids

María Magdalena Campos-Pons (born July 22, 1959) is an artist from Cuba who now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She creates art using photography, performances, videos, and sculptures. Many people see her as a very important artist from Cuba who found her unique artistic voice after the Cuban Revolution.

Her art often explores themes like Cuban culture, what it means to be a woman, and having a mixed identity (Cuban, Chinese, and Nigerian). She also looks at her own family, which is Cuban-American, and topics like Roman Catholicism and Santería (a spiritual practice).

Early Life and Art Training

María Magdalena Campos-Pons was born in Matanzas, Cuba, in 1959. She grew up in a town called La Vega, which was known for its sugar plantations. Her family history is very diverse: her great-grandparents on her father's side were Yoruba from Africa. She also has Chinese and Hispanic family roots.

Her African ancestors were brought to Cuba as slaves in the late 1800s to work on sugar plantations. They kept many of their traditions from Africa alive, and these traditions later became a big influence on Campos-Pons's art. Her Chinese ancestors came to Cuba as workers in sugar mills.

When she was young, Campos-Pons visited the National Cuban Museum of Fine Art. She noticed that black Cubans were not shown much in the art there. She felt that their stories and faces were missing.

Campos-Pons describes her art education as very traditional, focusing on drawing and sculpture. She studied at the Escuela National de Arte in Havana from 1976 to 1979. Then, from 1980 to 1989, she went to Havana's Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). At ISA, students learned about art from all over the world and were encouraged to create art that showed Cuba's special mix of traditions and cultures. Her painting teacher, Antonio Vidal, who was an abstract artist, greatly influenced her work.

In 1988, she continued her studies at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. There, she made her first film, which had music created by composer Neil Leonard. She married Neil Leonard in 1989. Before moving to Boston in 1991 to live with him, she spent some time in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Since 2017, she has lived in Nashville, Tennessee.

Artistic Journey and Themes

From 1986 to 1989, Campos-Pons taught painting at the Instituto Superior de Arte. She started showing her art internationally in 1984. Her work became known during the rise of the New Cuban Art movement. This movement started as a way for artists to express themselves against strict rules in Cuba. It focused less on perfect technical skills and more on creating art that truly felt Cuban. A big part of this movement was bringing Afro-Cuban people and their stories into art. Humor and spirituality were also important themes.

Her early art often used separate, shaped canvases, which suggested that a woman's identity can be broken into many parts. It also referred to Afro-Cuban myths. She also used her art to explore ideas about women's rights and feminism. Since there wasn't a big feminist movement in Cuba, artists like Campos-Pons helped keep these ideas in people's minds.

In the 1990s, she explored her family's connection to slavery and the Santería spiritual practice. Santería was developed by African slaves in Cuba, mixing ideas from Yoruba traditions and Roman Catholic beliefs. It's often seen as a "woman's religion" because women played a big role in shaping and practicing it. Campos-Pons uses Santería in her art to connect with her Nigerian ancestors and her Cuban heritage. She explores its rituals and symbols in works like The Seven Powers Come by the Sea (1992) and The Seven Powers (1994), which talk about slavery and mention Yoruba gods and goddesses. During this time, sound became very important in her work, with Neil Leonard creating electronic music for her videos and installations.

After 1994, her art started to look more like ethnography, which is the study of cultures. Her work became very autobiographical, looking into her ancestors' experiences with slavery and the sugar industry. She explored "a felt history" through unspoken stories and strong cultural traditions. She began using large photographs, often arranged in pairs (diptychs) or groups of three (triptychs).

In the early 2000s, she returned to ideas from abstract and minimalist art, which reminded her of her early work and her Cuban professor, Antonio Vidal.

Campos-Pons says that her art takes parts of her personal story and makes them important for everyone. She often features her Afro-Cuban relatives and herself. She wants to show "cross-cultural" and "cross-generational" themes about race and gender, using symbols of strong women and motherhood. She explains, "I am as much black, Cuban, woman, Chinese. I am this tapestry of all of that." Her art also explores ideas like leaving one's home, moving to a new country, memory, and Cuba itself.

Her art has been shown in many exhibitions around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Venice Biennale. Her works are part of major collections at places like the Smithsonian Institution and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Campos-Pons teaches at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she holds a special position in Fine Arts. In 2020, she started "Engine for Art, Democracy and Justice," a series of online talks and art projects from Vanderbilt University. It focuses on healing during times of social unrest.

Working with Neil Leonard

Between 1988 and 2018, María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Neil Leonard created 38 audio-visual artworks together. When they met in 1988, Leonard was already making sound for art installations. After they met, sound became a much bigger part of Campos-Pons's art. They worked together to add spoken words, music, and recordings of everyday sounds into her pieces, expanding her art to include time-based presentations. Leonard invited famous Cuban religious musicians to play for their installations, videos, and performances.

Leonard created electronic music for Campos-Pons's first film, Rito de Iniciación (1988), and video, Baño Sagrado (1990). From 2010 to 2017, they created some of their most complete collaborations, balancing sound and visual content. During this time, Leonard explored how global marketing affects how we listen. His work with Campos-Pons included recordings and performances with butchers, bartenders, street vendors, and traditional music groups.

Their installations and performances from this period were often planned and created together. These include "Llego Fefa" at the Havana Biennial, "Habla Madre" at the Guggenheim Museum, and "Identified" at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. These works shifted from Campos-Pons's personal story to their shared interest in exploring the hidden connections between different cultures in the Americas. Art critic Holland Cotter called Leonard's music for their work at the 2013 Venice Biennale a "haunting, rhythmic, chantlike score, secular spiritual music for a New World."

Examples of Her Art

Here are some examples of María Magdalena Campos-Pons's art:

53+1=54+1+55. Letter of the Year (2013)

This artwork was created by María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Neil Leonard. It was shown at the Cuban Pavilion during the Venice Biennale in 2013. The piece includes 100 bird cages, 55 video players, and 18 audio speakers. "Letter of the Year" explores ideas about home, moving to new places, and finding what "permanency" and "locality" mean.

The videos inside the birdcages show conversations between Cubans living in Cuba and their family members who live abroad. Outside the cages, you can hear recordings of street vendors, known as pregoneros, which shows how small businesses have become more common in Cuba. Campos-Pons also led a performance in Piazza San Marco, dressed in a special costume that mixed Chinese, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean styles, while Leonard performed with musicians from the U.S., Cuba, and Scotland.

Spoken Softly with Mama (1998)

This work, by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons with sound by Neil Leonard, combines sculpture, painting, photography, performance, sound, and video. It explores her African and Cuban roots and talks about themes of gender, race, family, and history. The art reveals layers of history and experiences, bringing to light the everyday lives and untold stories of people.

The artist's life and work are deeply connected to her mother, sisters, family, and neighbors in Cuba. Her art also refers to the many generations of Africans brought to Cuba centuries ago to work on sugar and tobacco farms. These people overcame hardship through their strong religious and cultural practices. The installation includes an immersive soundtrack by Neil Leonard. This work was bought by the National Museum of Canada.

The One That Carried Fire (2011)

This artwork by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons explores how gender identity is formed, especially how femininity is built. "The One That Carried Fire" uses organic lines and shapes of flowers painted in bright reds and pinks, which suggest female reproductive organs. At the bottom is a self-portrait of Campos-Pons. Her natural hair holds a glowing orb, connecting her to the burst of color and flowers. This connection is not just physical femininity but also a symbol of her family ties to her cultural heritage.

Matanzas Sound Map (2017)

Created by María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Neil Leonard for Documenta 14, this work includes projected video and 10 separate audio channels. It also features cast glass, blown glass, handmade paper, coconut tree bark, coconut shells, and Calea stone from Matanzas. The artwork explores the sounds of Matanzas, from the harbor areas where famous music styles were born to quiet river mouths where one can imagine Cuba as it sounded before people arrived. The installation creates a "sound map" made with sugar growers, musicians, music experts, and scientists.

Art in Public Collections

Her work can be found in many public art collections around the world, including:

• Pérez Art Museum Miami
• Tufts University Art Galleries
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Smithsonian Institution
• Whitney Museum of American Art
• Art Institute of Chicago
• National Gallery of Canada
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Fogg Art Museum, at Harvard University

Awards and Recognition

Campos-Pons has received many awards and honors throughout her career. Some of these include:

• 2023: MacArthur Fellow (a very prestigious award)
• 2021: $50,000 Pérez Prize
• 2018: $25,000 Anonymous Was a Woman Award
• 2012: Woman of Color Award, Boston, MA
• 2011: Woman of Courage, Boston, MA
• 2011: Hispanic Alianza Award, Nashville, TN
• 2009: The Jorge Hernandez Leadership in the Arts Award, MA
• 2007: Rappaport Prize, MA
• 1997: The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant, NY
• 1995: Art Reach 95 Award, National Congress of Art & Design, Salt Lake City, UT
• 1995: Bunting Fellowship, Radcliffe College at Harvard, Cambridge, MA
• 1995: New England Foundation for the Arts, Regional Fellowship, MA US
• 1992-1991: Foreign Visiting Artist Grant, Media Arts, Canada Council, Canada
• 1992-1991: Fellowship, The Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada
• 1990: Painting Fellowship, The Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada
• 1989: Medal of Honor, City of Guanabacoa, Cuba
• 1985: Symposium of Scientific Studies, Research Award, Higher Institute of Art, Havana, Cuba

Solo Exhibitions

María Magdalena Campos-Pons has had many solo exhibitions, where her art is the main focus. Some recent and notable ones include:

• 2023: María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold, Brooklyn Museum and J. Paul Getty Museum
• 2021: The Rise of the Butterflies, Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin, Germany
• 2021: Sea and Self, Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• 2020: New Viewings #25 Curated by Octavio Zaya, Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin, Germany
• 2020: In The Garden, curated by Francesca Pasini, Galleria Giampaolo Abbondio, Milan, Italy.
• 2019: Sea and Self, The Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
• 2018: Like the lonely traveller: Video Works by María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin
• 2018: Notes on Sugar: Works by María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Christian Green Gallery, The University of Texas at Austin
• 2017: Matanzas Sound Map, documenta 14, Athens (co-commission with Neil Leonard)
• 2017: Bar Matanzas, documenta14, Kassel (co-commission with Neil Leonard)
• 2013: Water, WIZARD GALLERY, Milan
• 2011–2012: Journeys & Mama/Reciprocal Energy, First Center for Visual Arts (performance with Neil Leonard), Nashville
• 2010: Sugar, Smith College Museum of Art
• 2007: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Everything Is Separated by Water, Bass Museum, Miami and Indianapolis Museum of Art (in collaboration with Neil Leonard)
• 2006: I Am Here, curated by Sergio Risaliti, Galleria Pack (now Galleria Giampaolo Abbondio), Milan, Italy (performance in collaboration with Neil Leonard)
• 2005: Back Yard, Dreams, Julie Saul Gallery, New York
• 2005: New Work, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami
• 2004: Threads of Memory, Dak'Art, the Biennial of Contemporary African Art, 6th edition (in collaboration with Neil Leonard)
• 2004: Elevata, Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston
• 2004: Talking Pictures, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami
• 2004: Something New, Something Old, Schneider Gallery, Chicago
• 2003: Interiority or Hill Sided Moon, La Marrana, Montemarcello, Italy (in collaboration with Neil Leonard)
• 2003: One Thousand Ways to Say Goodbye, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo, Norway, (in collaboration with Neil Leonard)
• 2002–2003: María Magdalena Campos-Pons, North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks
• 2002: M.M. Campos-Pons, Galleria Pack (now Galleria Giampaolo Abbondio), Milan, Italy
• 2001: Nesting, Schneider Gallery, Chicago
• 2000: Nesting, Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston
• 1998: Unfolding Desires, Hallwalls, Buffalo
• 1998: Spoken Softly with Mama, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa,(in collaboration with Neil Leonard)
• 1998: History of People... Part I, "A Town Portrait," Lehman College, NJ
• 1998: M.M. Campos-Pons, Sustenance, Martha Schneider Gallery, Chicago
• 1997: Abridor de Caminos, Martha Schneider Gallery, Chicago
• 1997: M.M. Campos-Pons, New Work, Ambrosino Gallery, Coral Gables
• 1997: When I am not Here. Estoy Alla, The Caribbean Cultural Center, New York
• 1996: M.M. Campos-Pons, New Work, Martha Schneider Gallery, Chicago
• 1994: Recent Work, Miami Dade Community College Gallery, Miami
• 1994: History of People Who Were Not Heroes, Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
• 1993: Let me Tell You, INTAR, Latin American Gallery, New York
• 1993: Racially Inscribed Body, Akin Gallery, Boston
• 1992: Como el Cuerpo de un Hombre es un Arbol … / … How the Body of a Person is a Tree …, Gallery La Centrale/Powerhouse, Montreal, Canada
• 1991: A Woman at the border/Una Mujer en la Frontera, SOHO 20 Gallery, New York
• 1991: Amuletos/Amulets, Burnaby Art Gallery, B.C., Canada
• 1990: A Woman at the Border/Una Mujer en la Frontera, Presentation Room JPL Building, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
• 1989: Isla/Island, Castillo de la Fuerza/Castle of Royal Force, Havana, Cuba
• 1985: Acoplamientos/Coupling, Gallery L, Havana, Cuba

Images for kids

• The House.jpg

  The House (2022) by María Magdalena Campos-Pons, a diptych photograph.

See also

In Spanish: María Magdalena Campos Pons para niños