Ana Mendieta (18 November 1948 – 8 September 1985) was a Cuban-American artist famous for her performance and “earth-body” sculptural, photographic, and video work.
Mendieta was born into a politically prominent family in Cuba closely affiliated with the Communist movement led by Fidel Castro. When the alliance between Castro’s factions and Mendieta’s father turned sour in 1961, she was sent to live in the United States.
Her exile informed the development of her work the Silueta series which comprises of her leaving an imprint of her body behind in different natural environments by filling in the silhouette of her body on the earth with various materials such as rocks, twigs, and flowers.
Much of Mendieta’s early work may be considered strongly feminist by some; her later works such as these Silueta pieces are focused more on a spiritual and physical connection with the land.
My art is the way I reestablish the bonds that tie me to the universe. Ana Mendieta
Mendieta died on 8 September 1985 in New York. Her work remains a beautiful testament to the necessity of an emotional connection to nature and our earth.
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