Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta

My friend Tatiana and I took a road trip up to Minneapolis to see the current exhibition at the University of Minnesota's Katharine E. Nash Gallery titled Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta.  I would tell you all to run out and go see it, because it was really great, but we made it two days before the show closed so you'll have to take my word for it.

The exhibition was the largest collection of Mendieta videos to be displayed at one time.  There were 20 some videos accompanied by an additional 20 some photo stills.  The exhibition also included a short documentary about the artist.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Mendieta's work, I'll attempt to give you a quick summary.
Ana Mendieta and her sister came to the United States as Cuban refugees when they were young children.  With no family here in the states, they ended up in foster care in Davenport, Iowa.  Ana studied art at the University of Iowa and went on to become a world renowned artist, a pioneer in performance and earth art.  She later moved to New York where she began a relationship with famous artist Carl Andre.  Mendieta was found dead after "falling" (although many say that Andre pushed her) out of her 34 story apartment window in 1985.  She was only  37 years old.

I've always liked Mendieta's artwork.  There is something about it that I feel very connected to. While watching her videos I still could not put my finger on what exactly it is that makes me feel connected to her work.  It could be Mendieta's own connectedness and appreciation for nature.  A large body of her work consists of her "siluetas" where Mendieta traces her body in the earth, only for the silhouette to disappear to the natural elements of earth - whether it be burned by gun powder or washed away by waves.  There's something about watching the artist laying in a pile of dirt that feels comforting - I know, crazy right?  Watching the videos actually made me want to go outside, take off all my clothes, and then cover myself with dirt and grass.  Luckily, it's winter so the frigid temperatures have stopped me from acting on impulse.  

One of Mendieta's "Siluetas" showing the in-process burning with gun powder.

Maybe one of the reasons I feel so drawn to her work, is that a lot of it takes place in Iowa.  Several of the "siluetas" take place in creek beds and other performance works on the college campus of my own alma matter, the University of Iowa.  I see myself walking the same streets in her videos and visiting the same parks that her performance pieces were video taped in. 

My friend Tatiana, viewing "Moffit Building Piece".  

If it's not Mendieta's love for nature or Iowan roots, her interest in the human condition might be the biggest factor as to why I see her as a kindred spirit.  One of the most powerful videos in the exhibition, was in response to the murder of a nurse which took place at the University of Iowa while Mendieta was studying there.  I don't know much about the murder but it sounds like there was little investigation and very little attention given to the crime.  For this reason, Mendieta felt that the victim deserved attention and so created a series of works where she uses blood to explore themes of violence towards women.  The video, titled "Moffit Building Piece", shows passerbyers casually walking by a pool of blood on the sidewalk without giving much concern, if any at all.  While watching the surveillance like footage, I couldn't help but think that if this were reenacted today, in the age of cell phones, more people would have stopped and called the police.  Maybe not though?  Maybe people would snapchat it and move on.  Maybe I should recreate it and find out :) !  Regardless, I really enjoy Mendieta's exploration of the human condition and investigation on how people responded to a very violent scene.  It's really quite sad to think that nobody cried, nobody knocked on a nearby door to make sure nobody was injured, and nobody (as far as we can see) went to seek help or notify anyone. 

"Self Portrait with Blood"

As I mentioned, the show in Minnepapolis has closed -BUT if you want to see some of her work, come check out Selfie: Self Portraits from the Permanent Collection at the Des Moines Art Center.  Two of her "silueta" stills are in the show as well as a book with her branded hand prints.  Her work has everything to do with self identity and is a great contribution to the exhibition.