When Ana Mendieta mysteriously fell from the 34th floor of her NYC apartment building at only thirty-six years old, could she envision the impact she would have on generations to come?
Born in Havana, Cuba, Mendieta had an affluent upbringing until she was forced to seek asylum when she was twelve. Separated from her family and ending up in Dubuque, IA, Mendieta had to hold onto her dear roots and discover what it meant to be a Cuban-American female in a world with little to no representation for the two labels.
She realized her lifelong passion for the arts while she worked hard at attaining three collegiate degrees in the arts at the University of Iowa: BA in art, MA in painting, and an MFA. Mendieta’s knack for experimentation inevitably drew attention, making an imprint (quite literally) in the contemporary art scene as a female artist with a legacy that would continue to resonate in future galleries. Mendieta illustrates her longing for home through her work which is relatable for many spectators. Her works became the representation she missed after fleeing to the United States from Cuba in 1961.
In a 1981 Artist statement, Ana Mendieta expanded on her inspiration for the familiar themes of home found within her works. “I believe this has been a direct result of my having been torn from my homeland during my adolescence…My art is the way I re-establish the bonds that unite me to the universe,” she explains. Connection was at the forefront of Mendieta’s works.
Mendieta was largely known for her earth-body works, using her body to create silhouettes within nature.
In Tierra del Fuego, a biographical documentary on Ana Mendieta, Kate Horsfield believes “The personal narrative approaches the universal when she uses the primal elements of fire, wind, water, and erosion to outline her body and to reach out to others who share the loss of displacement.” Ana Mendieta gave a voice to the displaced refugees of the world seeking home wherever they go. Not only does she confront emotional topics through her experimental art, she is remarkable for her controversial, radical, and always daring style.
Mendieta remarked in her previous artist statement, “I have been carrying out a dialogue between the landscape and the female body based on my own silhouette.” At a time where the second wave feminist movement was taking off, her work resonated with countless women defending their rights as contributing members of society.
Meticulously crafted to delve into the existential realm of art, her work is perceived as powerful, lucid, and soulful, having no exact place in time. The elements bring a sample of wistfulness but if the spectator looks for only a second longer, it is clear that there is an ongoing discourse on issues still pervading lives today.
Ana was always fighting for human rights. In her art, through her words, she was an outspoken individual with activism running through her veins. Through her experimentalist and provocative art, she was able to test the social climate of 1960s-1980s America.
In the documentary Fuego de Tierra, Dr. Wallace Tomasini, Ana Mendieta’s professor at the University of Iowa, explains how Ana was “Always fighting for certain kinds of rights and not only for herself but for other people as well.” Innately, she was an activist.
After her death in 1985, shrouded in domestic abuse turned murder controversy involving her husband at the time, minimalist artist Carle Andre, feminists began rallying for Ana Mendieta to receive the recognition she deserved. Fully convinced she was murdered, feminists have begun an entire movement coined as “Where Is Ana Mendieta,” following Carle Andre’s exhibitions and demanding Mendieta’s art be displayed instead. One thing is for sure: Mendieta is highly respected by female artists globally.
Mendieta was known for challenging the normatives and excelled at it through her radical pieces of the era. She had a special finesse at incorporating integral parts of herself into her works, immortalizing herself within history. Mendieta’s identity transcends time and space, bringing comfort to many girls around the world as they continue the fight to be heard, understood, and respected.
Although many of her earth-body formations have eroded with time, the meaning of a woman ingraining her body into soil, water, stone, and sand forever remains.
Ana Mendieta’s impact by representing displaced people and women in the art world is indisputable. Rather than remembering her as a woman that met an untimely end, the “Where is Ana Mendieta” movement should also represent the way she left a mark on the world. Where is Ana Mendieta? She is ingrained within her art that has touched hearts across the world.
