About the After Belkis

“After Belkis” is book representing a series of prints by Sam Vernon in tribute to the legacy of Afro-Cuban printmaker Belkis Ayón (January 23, 1967 – September 11, 1999). Together these images illustrate a
stark and haunting meditation in black, white, and shades of gray. Twenty-six monoprints at times employing collagraphic techniques, pa homage to Ayón’s masterful style and brilliant studies. Nuanced iconography, ambiguously gendered figures and ghostly veils stretch into intuitive, loose abstractions tapping into contemporary mourning. Vernon describes the book as a “dreamed-up collaboration” and “printing out one’s feelings” to emphasize the ritual of processing grief while celebrating the freedom to experiment along textural lines.