Pablo Caviedes: The Unknown Way

Broadway Mall Association (BMA) proudly announces its public art exhibition, Pablo Caviedes: The Unknown Way. This exhibition showcases 32 of the artist’s original works from his CRANIUM series, printed onto aluminum signs adjusted to the poles along the Broadway malls from 150th Street to 158th Street. The exhibition will launch on October 29th and remain on display until November 21st.  Pablo Caviedes’ CRANIUM series is a powerful meditation on identity, migration, and mortality. Through intricately rendered skulls layered with maps, indigenous symbols, and human visages, Caviedes uses a universal symbol of death to represent an exploration of cultural memory. Merging Western memento mori traditions with Latin American iconography, his work blurs boundaries between life and death, homeland and exile, and the physical and the digital. Each skull is a visual archive of the immigrant experience: fragmented yet resilient, rooted yet in motion. CRANIUM invites viewers to confront the fluidity of identity and to question what it means to belong in an ever-shifting world. This project is on display in conjunction with Day of the Dead, known as Día de los Difuntos in Ecuador. Día de los Difuntos is a national holiday that takes place on November 2 and coincides with the Catholic feast of All Souls’ Day. Many people in Ecuador hold graveside celebrations to honor their loved ones – they hold vigils and adorn graves with flowers and candles. Guaguas de pan (figurines made from bread dough) and colada morada are typical Ecuadorian snacks for Día de los Difuntos.  

Andrew Genn, BMA Executive Director, says, “”Pablo Caviedes’ Unknown Way represents a new approach to public art on the malls in a few important ways. First, it celebrates Latin American community traditions activating the small parks on Broadway in a visually compelling way.  Second, by using signage instead of sculpture, we hope to create a new way to display art that can be replicated on the malls year after year. We are thrilled to partner with Pablo Caviedes who has inspired us with his arresting images meticulously designed just for the Hamilton and Washington Heights communities. We thank him not only for being the first artist to display art this way, but also for graciously leading classes with students at CLOTH to explore Day of the Dead traditions in his native Ecuador.” Caviedes says, “The Unknown Way exhibition invites the viewer to take a walk and gaze through all its images to trigger questions of what lies beyond this path and to contemplate the need for a shift to a higher state of awareness and extension of consciousness.” Sylvia Mata, President & Founder of ArtLatAm, says, “ArteLatAm is proud to support our artist Pablo Caviedes and collaborate with the Broadway Mall Association. This public art exhibit breathes creativity into the soul of New York City, weaving culture, identity, and community into one living tapestry.”  

About the Artist Pablo Caviedes, born in Cotacachi Ecuador, is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work explores the themes of migration, identity, and human coexistence. Caviedes’ multidisciplinary art – including painting, sculpture, printmaking, digital art, and animation – reflects his experiences living in Ecuador, France, Spain, and the U.S. His work has been exhibited across Europe, North and South America, and Asia, and he has earned numerous awards and honors. Some highlights include exhibitions at the United Nations in New York, the Bronx Museum of Arts, and the American Center for Arts & Culture in Paris. Caviedes resides and works in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan and is excited to present his first exhibition with the Broadway Mall Association.  

About Art on the Malls BMA’s Art on the Malls program launched in 2025. Since then, BMA has exhibited the work of more than 20 internationally recognized artists on the malls, including Boaz Vaadia, Chakaia Booker, Carole Eisner, Manolo Valdés, Peter Woytuk, Saint Clair Cemin, Frank Benson, Sarah Braman, Dan Colen, Paul Druecke, Lars Fisk, Drew Heitzler, Matt Johnson, Joanna Malinowska, Don Gummer, Joy Brown, Kathy Ruttenberg, Nicolas Holiber, Jon Isherwood, Sean Scully, Carl D’Alvia. BMA recently participated in the West Harlem Art Fund’s West Harlem Art Fund’s Harlem Sculpture Gardens outdoor exhibition by supporting the installations of two local artists: Iliana Emilia Garcia’s Trinity at 148th Street and Shervone Neckles’ Beacon at 137th Street in Montefiore Park. 

To learn more, please visit broadwaymall.org/public-art. The Unknown Way represents BMA’s growing commitment to display work from local artists. Through this exhibition, BMA hopes to create visibility for emerging and established artists in Upper Manhattan and make the Broadway malls a venue for artistic expression. In addition to this exhibition, Caviedes has hosted workshops with student groups at Community Health Academy of the Heights, a public school run by Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), giving students the opportunity to work directly with a professional artist. 

About Broadway Mall Association Broadway Mall Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the stewardship and beautification of the malls in the center of Broadway from 70th Street to 168th Street. Through art, horticulture, and community engagement, BMA works to create vibrant public spaces that serve as a green sanctuary for residents and visitors. For more information, please visit broadwaymall.org