The trajectory of Bedia’s work unfolds as a narrative of the transcultural journeys he has made. The first section includes eight works that deal with Bedia’s involvement with the Afro-Cuban religion Palo Monte, which he has practiced since the early 1980s in Cuba. Bedia was initiated into Palo Monte in 1983 and immersed himself in the religion’s history and rituals.

For Bedia the power of the central icon of Palo Monte, the nganga (a cauldron or pot), takes on iconic proportions and is a recurring motif in his work. A number of paintings in this section portray the nganga—first shown empty and then on other canvases filled with the sacred objects that signify the artist’s increasing knowledge and power attained through initiation and practice.

The works in the next section of the exhibition comment on and chronicle Bedia’s travels in Mexico, as well as his studies with Lakota peoples and visits to shamans in the Peruvian Amazon. Another grouping features four works that pay homage to Caribbean revolutionary figures that combined their religious beliefs with a strong sense of activism and social justice. Three final large paintings, each approximately 15 feet wide, reflect Bedia’s long-standing interest in African art, as well as the pilgrimages he made to Zambia to work with diviners and view masquerades.

Three “Moments of Inspiration” present objects from José Bedia’s personal collections that relate to the subjects of his paintings within the gallery. Bedia is an ardent collector; his Miami home contains hundreds of sculptures, textiles, and drawings, principally from Africa and the indigenous Americas. Of this vast collection he says, “I collect these objects to learn from them. For me, this is like a library. These are my books. That’s why I keep them in front of me every day.”