Reynier Leyva Novo's work proposes a very personal way of confronting history. Whether from the realms of video, photography, installationism or object production, his gaze is marked by the postmodern tendency to promote subjectivism and alternative discursive lines, above the official narratives. His early works, dating back to the time he was studying at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) and at the Cátedra Arte de Conducta -directed by Tania Bruguera-, reflect his interest in researching events of relevance to universal and local history. Novo recovers data, investigates, returns to events that have been forgotten, dismembers history and rearticulates it.

His commitment to this way of doing has allowed him to develop exhibition projects of tremendous depth and investigative solidity. Among the most outstanding are "The Weight of Death" (Continua Gallery, San Gimignano, Italy) and "The Weight of History" (collateral to the XII Havana Biennial, Morro-Cabaña Park, Havana, Cuba), "Siri Devi Khandavilli" (Lisa Sette Gallery, Arizona, United States) and "The Dust, the Blood, the Common Dream" (Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture in Umeå, Switzerland). Novo has also been invited to participate in important events such as the Venice Biennial (Italy), the Frestas - Arts Triennial (Brazil), the ArtBo Art Fair (Colombia), the Armory Show (United States), and the ARCO Madrid Fair (Spain), among others.

His work is located in collections of great prestige such as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba; the collections of the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, United States; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC, United States; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, United States; Fundación CIFO-Europa, Spain and the Perez Art Museum (PAMM), Miami, United States.