In Árbol de la Vida (1976) Ana Mendieta covered herself in mud and foliage and pressed her body against a tree, blending into it as if becoming part of it. It is simultaneously body art, sculpture and performance. I am stunned by the absolute physicality of her work, the bodily engagement with the land itself: […]
Ana Mendieta
Posted inCOVID-19
Please touch the artwork at Des Moines Art Center’s interactive new exhibit
Touch is widely considered to be the most intimate of the five senses, one that has been highly politicized and rationed through the COVID-19 pandemic. For a long time, the general public wasn’t able to be physically caring with many of their loved ones, regardless of the need: a hug, a backrub, a kiss, sitting […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Black Angel and Ana Mendieta
“I have been carrying on a dialogue between the landscape and the female body (based on my own silhouette). I believe this has been a direct result of my having been torn from my homeland (Cuba) during my adolescence. I am overwhelmed by the feeling of having been cast from the womb (nature). My art […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
New tour and augmented reality app explore Ana Mendieta’s Iowa City
Artist Ana Mendieta came to Dubuque in 1961 at age 12 as a refugee from Cuba. She discovered her love of art there, navigating junior high school with limited other means of expression (her English was not yet good). But it was in Iowa City where her signature brand of bloody, violent and boldly feminist artwork was honed. She earned both a BA and an MA in painting as well as an MFA in intermedia at the University of Iowa, studying under Hans Breder, intermedia program founder who passed away last year.
