Ana Mendieta (1948-1985) grounded her work through what she called, a “universal energy.” She used mud, earth, flowers, and even blood in her art to evoke the emotional, and at times harrowing, inspirations behind her performances.
Ana Mendieta (1948-1985) grounded her work through what she called, a “universal energy.” She used mud, earth, flowers, and even blood in her art to evoke the emotional, and at times harrowing, inspirations behind her performances.
History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Sundus Hassan, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejada. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. This is Womanica.
Today’s episode contains themes of sexual assault and suicide. If you’re listening with a child, you might want to sit this one out.
This month, we’re talking about visionaries.
Today’s Womanican grounded her work through what she called, a “universal energy.” She used mud, earth, flowers, and even blood in her art to evoke the emotional, and at times harrowing, inspirations behind her performances. Let’s talk about Ana Mendieta.
Ana was born on November 18, 1948. She was the second of three children born to Ignacio and Raquel Mendieta in Havana, Cuba. Her mother was a chemistry teacher. Her father was a supporter of Fidel Castro, but became disillusioned with the anti-Catholic sentiment of the post-revolutionary state. Alongside their father, Ana and her older sister Raquelin, became involved in counter-revolutionary activities. At the time, Ana and Raquelin were only 12 and 14 years old.
In 1961, Ignacio arranged for the girls to leave the country. They were transported to Miami in Operation Pedro Pan, a program organized by a priest in Miami to move 14,000 kids from Cuba to the US under guardianship of the Catholic Church. Soon after, the sisters were sent to a reform school in Iowa. They wouldn’t see their mother and brother for another 5 years. And they wouldn’t see their father again for another 18 years.
In Iowa, Ana felt stifled. Later in life, friends would describe her as “tempestuous,” “outspoken,” and “fiercely ambitious,” none of which she was allowed to openly embody during this period of time. She was regularly punished with beatings and confinement in the reform school. Afterward, Ana and Raquelin spent several tumultuous years in the foster care system. Isolated from her family and from any semblance of her life in Cuba, Ana turned to art as a means of expression.
Ana enrolled in the University of Iowa in 1969. There she began to develop her unique style. She became interested in cross-disciplinary practice and avant garde work. She described her work as “earth-body” art, as it would often blend her own figure with elemental materials like mud, rocks, flowers, and leaves. She drew inspiration from folk and occult traditions of Cuba, as well as Mexico, where she often traveled for research.
One of Ana’s most famous pieces include her “Siluetas” series, in which she created silhouettes of her body using the four elements and other materials from nature. She worked on this series from her senior solo show in 1973, until 1980, just a few years before her death.
Ana’s work was also often violent and raw, reflecting on themes of feminism, the power of female sexuality, and male sexual violence. Her first piece meditating on these ideas was one of her most divisive and impactful: a series of performances in response to the 1973 on-campus rape and murder of a fellow university student, Sara Ann Otten.
She also created a series of self-portraits distorting her features by pressing her face up against glass, others where she was dripping in blood, and some with glued-on facial hair. She created a short film in which she recorded passers-by’s reactions to a puddle of pig’s blood she’d spilled outside her apartment, as a way to observe peoples’ indifference and reactions to violence.
In 1977, Ana graduated with an MFA in Intermedia, which she earned under the instruction of artist Hans Breder-- with whom Ana had a ten-year-long affair. After graduating, In 1978, Ana moved to New York City. There, she became part of the Artists in Residency, or AIR, an all-women gallery. The group didn’t have a unified agenda, but rather wanted to achieve the kind of recognition for women that men already held in the art world.
Through the gallery, Ana met Carl Andre, a minimalist artist. In all respects, including their art, Ana and Carl were opposites, but they began a turbulent romantic relationship. They were married in a private ceremony in Rome in January 1985, though Ana suspected he may have been cheating on her as early as August of that year.
In September of 1985, Ana’s star was on the rise. But on September 8, 1985, Ana died after falling from her 34th-floor apartment window in Greenwich Village. She was 36. Carl was the only witness. Later, he’d claim to remember none of the events leading up to her death, and suggested Ana died by suicide. He was tried for her death, but ultimately acquitted.
In the years since, many believe Ana’s death overshadowed her work as an artist. But supporters of her work continue to uphold her legacy and her place in the male-dominated art world. In 1992, the Guggenheim opened a short-lived downtown art gallery which included a work by Carl Andre. 500 protestors gathered outside in a picket line with banners that read “Where Is Ana Mendieta?” More recently, Ana is beginning to receive the recognition she deserved, including a show at the Whitney Museum and the Hayward gallery.
All month, we’re honoring incredible, artistic visionaries.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!