Label TextAt a young age, Ana Mendieta was taken from her native Cuba to orphanages and foster homes in Iowa City in an attempt to escape political turmoil. She used the “Silueta” series to reconnect with nature and the earth she felt violently torn from. In nearly 200 earth/body works, she carved, submerged, or burnt herself into the ground, documenting the acts with photography. In these images, Mendieta traced her silhouette, filled the outline with gunpowder, and then ignited it, capturing both the flames and their aftermath on film.
Exhibition History"The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000 (Part II), Whitney Museum of American Art
Published References"Earth/Body: Ana Mendieta Sculpture and Performance"exhibition caralogue, edited by Olga Viso, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2004, ref. pgs. 188 (full page color image), 273
Exhibition History"The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000 (Part II), Whitney Museum of American Art
Published References"Earth/Body: Ana Mendieta Sculpture and Performance"exhibition caralogue, edited by Olga Viso, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2004, ref. pgs. 188 (full page color image), 273
DimensionsFrame: 18 1/2 × 25 1/4 × 1 1/8 in. (47 × 64.1 × 2.9 cm)
Image (visible): 12 5/8 × 19 3/8 in. (32.1 × 49.2 cm)
Image (visible): 12 5/8 × 19 3/8 in. (32.1 × 49.2 cm)
Accession Number 1997.77
Classificationsphotograph
Portfolio/Series"Silueta" series
