Update: Mendive in L.A., Cañibano in Australia, Cuba Contemporanea in Geneva

Centennial Exhibitions at MNBA Havana. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes continues its centennial year celebration with a full roster of anniversary exhibitions. This past Friday saw the opening of two more: Museum Nacional de Cuba: Orígenes de la colección (Origins of the Collection) and Hitos: Crecimiento de la colección de arte en el museo nacional 1913-1963(Milestones: Growth of the Art Collection in the National Museum 1913-1963). Hitos explores three significant moments in the collection’s development, through works that entered the museum’s holdings in the years 1913, 1925, and 1954; Orígenes takes a broader perspective, encompassing paintings, decorative arts, historical relics dating back to the precolumbian era, and objects related to Afro-Cuban religions.

The show includes a space dedicated to the cinema, which, as the exhibition materials note, “was also present in the nucleus [of the museum] in 1913.” Both exhibitions run through July 19. (See the Centennial on Facebook here.)

Manuel Mendive in Los Angeles…and New York. The California African American Museum is presenting a career-spanning retrospective of the artist’s work, with an emphasis on his deep commitment to Afro-Cuban culture. Things That Cannot Be Seen Any Other Way: The Art of Manuel Mendive spotlights such works as the 1960s and 1970s series “Yoruba Mythology” and “Middle Passage,” and his performances in the late 1980s, including “La Vida.” The opening reception tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. includes an art performance by Mendive, who will decorate dancers and guide their movements. The show runs at CAAM through October 20.

Before heading to California, Mendive spent a few days in New York City, conducting art workshops organized by the Ross Institute and Fundación Amistad. He was also feted at a reception at the Center for Cuban Studies / Cuban Art Space. See a photo album of the gathering on the Cuban Art News Facebook page.

Cuban Artists in Gdansk. The sociopolitical terrain of three different countries—Poland, Spain, and Cuba—is the focus of a provocative group show at the Laznia Center for Contemporary Arts in Gdansk, Poland. Inspired by the lyrics of a song by the Cuban band Porno para Ricardo, the exhibition Politics: I Do Not Like It, But It Likes Me features work by Alexandre Arrechea, Los Carpinteros, Hamlet Lavastida, Glenda León, and Glexis Novoa, among others. On view through June 2.

Raúl Cañibano in Australia—and still in Miami. Last month we profiled the photographer in an essay by Miami curators Willy Castellanos and Adriana Herrera, and his photo album on our Facebook page went viral in a big way. So we’re pleased to report that Raúl Cañibano: The Island Re-Portrayed (1992-2012)—his first solo show outside the island—has been held over at Miami’s Aluna Art Foundation through Saturday, May 11. And even more pleased to hear that he’s the subject of a solo exhibition at the Reportage documentary photography festival in Sydney, Australia, May 24-June 13. Cañibano’s work is already on view in Australia, in a group show at 10×8 Gallery in New South Wales, through May 11.

Cuba Contemporanea in Geneva. Opening tomorrow evening, Cuba Contemporanea: Arte de la Grande Île des Caraïbes showcases the work of 17 artists, from René Peña to Mabel Poblet, Esterio Segura to Lidzie Alvisa. The show opens with a reception tomorrow night at 6 p.m. and runs through May 12 at the Centre Culturel du Manoir de Cologny in Geneva.

Never Ending Moment in Miami. Curated by Angela Valella, this group show at The Art Link gallery in Wynwood takes the video loop as the starting point for an exploration of the unfinished nature of events and our experience of them. Eight videos form the core of the show, which includes works by Consuelo Castañeda and Juan Pablo Ballester. On view through May 11.

Sad News from Havana. Alfredo Guevara, a founder of ICAIC, died of a heart attack Friday morning in Havana. One of the island’s best-known intellectuals, Guevara headed the film institute for 30 years. He was instrumental in establishing the Our Times Cultural Society, an institution that brought together the avant-garde of the Cuban intelligentsia. In the 1970s Guevara founded the Cuban Cinematheque, an important archive of Latin American cinema, as well as Cine Cubano magazine and the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana. He was 87.

Next: Ibrahim Miranda in Panama, Humanscape in Jersey City, Zilia Sánchez in NYC, a double show in Miami, and more.