SKU: 15016858499

Ava Lujan - Simbolos I

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Ava Lujan - Simbolos IThis is an gorgeous original pair of works on paper, and is about 26" x 20". Ava Lujan is a real talent, with a very unique style. Cuba is a goldmine of talent. From the Russian influences, to the classical European artists, that many of the Cuban Masters studied with. Despite a series of repressive governments the art scene has historically thrived in Cuba, where culture occupies a prominent place. Art played a key role in the Cuban revolution and

This is an gorgeous original pair of works on paper, and is about 26" x 20". Ava Lujan is a real talent, with a very unique style. 

 

 

Cuba is a goldmine of talent. From the Russian influences, to the classical European artists, that many of the Cuban Masters studied with. 

 

Despite a series of repressive governments the art scene has historically thrived in Cuba, where culture occupies a prominent place. Art played a key role in the Cuban revolution and there are currently about 14 art schools, a University of Fine Arts, as well as 13,000 ‘registered artists’ on the island, as Rene Duquesne of the National Council of Visual Arts points out.


The African presence in Cuba is undeniable, incredibly strong and visible but because of the practice of whitening in the US, it is possible to shed, deny, or simply omit one's blackness in order to melt into the dominant, acceptable identity group in Miami. Here it is both possible and common to refer to being Cuban, refer to one's self as “white” while showing pictures of generations of family that include a Black abuelo or abuelita. So when we talk of Afro-Cuban art, we have several distinctions – art that pays homage to African heritage and culture, art by Black Cubans, art that makes reference to Afro-Cuban culture, and none of these are mutually exclusive. As a “movement,” Afro-Cuban Art involves bringing what is Black about Cuba to the forefront and an important linking with Black diaspora arts as a much larger field or landscape. It is one in which Black/ Afro-Cuban lives matter.

 

Afro-Cuban art has given the world, and the African diaspora in particular, a symbolic language with which to speak to and about African spiritual systems, specifically with regard to the orishas. The iconography of spiritual African systems from many nations – Yoruba, Fon, Dahomey, Congo, Ketu, Ijesha, Egbado, Oyo, Nago, Jeje are all a part of what has become Afro-Cuban art. Here there are so many points of reference that people from throughout the African Diaspora will feel and see a “familiar” energy in a variety of artistic mediums in Cuba and the Cuban diaspora.

By using this symbolic language, embedding it in painting, music, sculpture, textiles, and other mediums the narrative histories of West and Southern Africa (specifically Yoruba and Congo) that didn’t exist visually as art for art sake in Africa have significantly contributed to the globalization of Lucumi/orisa culture and positive associations with Cuban culture worldwide. The Lucumi tradition also understood as Afro-Cuban religion, has given us a new world lens on ancient African traditional spiritual systems by creating visible representations that offer a new and necessary lingua franca that we recognize as part of Cuba, bringing together African aesthetics from many different nations.

 

As such Afro-Cuban religion has travelled extensively and influenced the world. It is possible now to see certain images and identify them as representations of Oshun, Oggun, Exu, Obatala, Shango, Oya, Ochossi and their tools as both overt and imbedded in artistic forms. This is a major specific contribution Afro-Cuban art has made to the world – it has in this way made visible narratives which only existed orally and in the minds and hearts of practitioners for many generations. Now, because of Afro-Cuban art, students reading African American novelist Ntozake Shange or viewing international pop sensation Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” can quickly pick up on the Osun imagery because we have a context for a yellow wearing, mirror having, beautiful, brown skinned woman in touch with her own sensuality.

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SKU: 15016858499

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4.7 ★★★★★
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Emily Howard
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 4
Top tier romantasy
I really enjoyed this book! It's everything a romantasy should be, really. The interactions between the characters was good, the world was interesting, and I liked the magic system. Slow burn was a 10/10! I really love Nico. He's so intriguing and I hope we get more of his POV in the next book. Reasons for taking off a star: 1. I didn't think the world building was set up well. I got the full picture by the end, but the author writes as if we should already understand and it was a bit confusing for quite a while. 2. Milla's characterization was inconsistent. She was wishy washy with her goals and didn't give off the bad ass vibes I think the author was aiming for. I would have also liked more showing and not telling for her background. 3. (This is me being a bit ridiculous) I didn't know if I was supposed to pronounce it as "Mih-luh" or "Mee-luh." I think the former sounds silly but my brain didn't want to read it as the latter 😅
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Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023
J
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Jennie Coulter
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Give me a little bit’a that Nicolai Roman Attano ANY DAY. 🥵
⭐️ 5 🌶 3 🚂 Peaky Blinders Vibes 🚂 Enemies to Lovers 🚂 Sexy + Sassy Banter 🚂 Marriage for Business 🚂 Unique Magic System 🚂 Dual POV I absolutely LOVED this book. The mafia/peaky blinders vibes — the lil’ steam punk feel mixed with magic and mayhem… add in the witty banter from Milla and Nico? ALEXIS, YOU DONE JUST ROCKED MY WORLD, FRIEND. What I Enjoyed: Nicolai. Roman. Attano.: Literally. This is all I’ve got to say to you, just read the book. The Banter: When I tell you the banter between Milla and Nico is iconic — I mean it. Scroll down for some of my favorites, but my my my, my core was HEATING and I was wriggling in my seat on the airplane, my friends. OOOOOMPH. Steampunk/ Peaky Blinders Vibes: I read this whole book with a feeling of mist on the ground, the flickering street lights, sound of a train horn, flapping of coat tails, and smell of cigarillo smoke. It was dark, broody, beautiful, and chilling. Add in a little wetness from morning dew and the scene has been set. Plot Twists & Turns: The amount of times my eyes bugged out of my head with “OMG NO WAY”, “WHAAAT”, and “BOOIIIIIII–” should almost be illegal. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, I loved it! Brilliant! I feel like House of Bane and Blood didn’t even allow me the opportunity to guess what would happen next, because I just had no idea where Alexis would take it. Attano Family: I’m a sucker for a big family with many cousins, personalities, and a spicy Nonna. Throw in a kitchen scene or two and you’ve got me hooked. I loved the dynamic between the Attano family and how fast they came to bat for Milla. I throughly enjoyed getting to know the people behind Nicolai, and how they all support him and each other. What I Didn’t Like: The Minimal Insight on the Marchese Family: We aren’t really given much insight into the Marchese Family and Milla’s brothers. I understand this gives an ominous feel to the brothers — but I really wish we could have explored Giles and Milla’s relationship just a little bit more. I wish I understood more about the Twins than what was given. Although, I do understand the distance and the coldness, I personally just wanted a little more. Over All Thoughts The way I straight flew through this book — UGH. Adding Nico to my list of book boyfriends, and Alexis to my list of instant buy Authors. The way House of Bane and Blood is written is beautiful, it does not feel immature or overwhelming, there’s enough to keep you riveted and more and more unfolds with every chapter. Milla and Nico are a force to be reckoned with separately, but together? Indestructible! I cannot WAIT to see what happens in City of Mirth and Malice.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
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Anastasia Goygova
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 4
A Promising Start with a Complex Magic System
“House of Bane and Blood” delivers an engaging enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in an arranged marriage trope, which was one of the strongest aspects of the book. The dynamic between Nico and Camilla was compelling, making their evolving relationship one of the highlights of the story. The plot itself was interesting and had a lot of potential. However, the complexity of the magic system was a drawback. The abundance of difficult names and terms made it challenging to fully grasp the world-building, leaving some aspects feeling more confusing than immersive. At times, it was hard to keep track of what was happening and who was who. Despite this, the book holds promise as the first installment of the series. With an intriguing setup and strong character chemistry, I’m excited to see where Book 2 takes the story. Hopefully, it will continue to build on its strengths while offering more clarity on its magical elements.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2025
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Julia
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Outstanding Indie Fantasy! You NEED to read this!
I have started and deleted my intro to my review multiple times at this point. My mind is sufficiently BLOWN. This book has landed itself into my top favorite romantasies right alongside ACOTAR and FBAA. ITS SO DANG GOOD. I literally woke up, popped it open on my kindle app (Thanks author and R&R Book Tours for the arc!) and got to reading and just didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. From the first dang page, Menard dragged my butt in and tied me down. I. Was. HOOKED. Writing Style: I absolutely love the writer’s style! Told from mainly Milla’s POV, with the occasional glance into Nico’s POV when its important. Her world building is rich and immersive, sticking firmly into the steampunk/gas lamp fantasy atmosphere. Her magic system—while feeling familiar—still feels unique and blends beautifully with the world she’s created. Characters: I can’t begin to describe how much I love the characters Menard has created for this story. Milla is a firestorm. She’s passionate, fiesty, loyal, and self confident. She doesn’t back down, no matter the odds. For me, personally, she’s ranking right up there with Feyre (ACOTAR), Poppy (FBAA), and Sera (FBAA prequel) as one of my favorite female leads. Despite her fierceness, she’s not invincible and she’s still vulnerable—which unveils itself more as the story goes on. Nico, mmmmmmmm, Nico. He’s cocky, and strong. His heart is for his blood and family. There’s nothing he won’t do for those he cares for. He’s incredibly insightful which leads to a lot of me squeeing and highlighting his quotes. Pairing him up with Milla is a riot I will watch again and again. The side characters are all phenomenal, ranging wide in personalities and giving the world a richer vibrancy. They compliment both main characters, bringing out the best and worst in them, helping to bring secrets to light and keep the plot going. Not a single character felt out of place, or ever out of character. Relationship: Y’all know I love a good slow burn and this burns so good. The push and pull of their hate/love relationship is a thrill to witness. Watching them fall for each other is a joy and the spice (when we get there) is HAWT. Plot: This story had me hooked, and that’s largely in thanks to how well planned out the story’s plot is. Menard did an excellent job, masterfully balancing her foreshadowing and reveals. While I halfway guessed the big reveal, i definitely did not expect the big reveal. (Read the book, then you’ll understand lmao). The pacing is fantastic. Nothing about the story felt rushed, not the relationship, not the reveals, not the over arching plot line. Just absolutely phenomenal. Enjoyment: 100/10 will read again. I need a physical copy in my life. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2023
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Ruth Ann Burt
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Great book
Format: Kindle
I absolutely feel in love with all 4 characters!!! The bedroom scenes were 🌋🌡🔥🔥🔥. I couldn't put this book down!!! I'm hooked for the whole series Book 2 here I come!!!!! Its a fun easy book and story to read!!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2024

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