1961, October 5 - Ana Mendieta arrives in Dubuque through Project Peter Pan

Ana Mendieta was a Cuban-American artist who was known for her work in performance art, sculpture, and land art. She was born in Havana, Cuba in 1948 and immigrated to the United States in 1961 as part of the Project Peter Pan program.

Ana and her older sister, Raquelin, first arrived in Dubuque in 1962. I was able to find this account of their time in Dubuque in Robert Katz’ book, Naked by the Window: The Fatal Marriage of Carl Andre and Ana Mendieta.

Mendieta began her artistic career in the 1970s, and was heavily influenced by her experiences as a refugee and her interest in the spiritual and cultural traditions of her Cuban heritage. Her early work often incorporated elements of ritual and performance, and she was a pioneer of the feminist art movement of the 1970s and 1980s.

One of Mendieta's most famous series of works is her "Silueta" series, in which she created sculptures of her own body using natural materials such as rocks, leaves, and sand. These sculptures were often placed in natural environments, and were meant to explore themes of identity, displacement, and the relationship between the human body and the natural world.

In addition to her sculpture and performance work, Mendieta was also known for her "earth-body" or "land art" pieces. These works were created by shaping the earth itself into sculptures, often using her own body as a mold. These pieces were created in remote locations and were intended to be ephemeral, leaving no trace after the elements erased them.

Mendieta's career was cut short in 1985 at the age of 36, after falling to her death from the window of her Mercer Street apartment in New York City. Her death was controversial and her husband, Carl Andre was arrested on a charge of murder but was later acquitted. (Read more in Robert Katz’ book: Naked by the Window: The Fatal Marriage of Carl Andre and Ana Mendieta or listen: Death of An Artist podcast by Pushkin). Her death was a great loss to the art world, but her work continues to be celebrated and exhibited around the world.

Mendieta's work is considered revolutionary for her time and her use of the body as a medium and her exploration of identity, displacement, and the relationship between the body and the natural world, continues to be relevant today. Her work is a testament to the power of art to explore complex and deeply personal themes, and her legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists.

Ana Mendieta attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City from 1972 to 1973, where she earned her MFA in Intermedia. While in Iowa, Mendieta was a part of the Intermedia program, which was a multidisciplinary program that allowed students to experiment with different forms of art and media, such as performance, video, and installation.

During her time at the University of Iowa, Mendieta began to develop her "Silueta" series, which would become one of her most famous and influential bodies of work. Mendieta also created a number of "earth-body" or "land art" pieces while in Iowa.

Mendieta's time in Iowa had a profound impact on her artistic development and many of the themes and techniques she explored during this period would continue to inform her work for the rest of her career.

Ana Mendieta Untitled (Facial Hair Transplants), 1972 Image source: sleek-mag.com

Ana Mendieta Untitled (Glass on Body Imprint) series

Ana’s work continues to inspire generations of artists. Contemporary artist, Jenny Saville, a British painter known for her large-scale, highly detailed paintings of the human figure, was inspired by Mendieta’s Untitled (Glass on Body Imprint) series.

Saville's paintings are known for their hyperrealistic style and their focus on the human body, particularly the female form. Her paintings are often large-scale, sometimes up to eight feet tall, which allows her to create an immersive experience for the viewer. Saville's paintings are also known for their raw, confrontational nature. She often paints bodies that are oversized, distorted, or disfigured, often using thick layers of paint to create a sense of immediacy and physicality.

Saville's work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world, and she has been the subject of several solo exhibitions. Her work is highly respected and has been praised for its ability to challenge societal norms and expectations, and for its powerful and expressive use of paint.

Saville continues to be active in the art scene and her work is highly sought after by collectors and museums.

Jenny Saville Closed Contact series

Jenny Saville Closed Contact series

In 2013, Dubuque artist, Trish Feldman-Jansen created an installation for the annual Voices From the Warehouse District group show inspired by the work of Mendieta and Saville. A record of this installation can be viewed here.

This blog entry was drafted by ChatGPT, fact-checked & edited by DubuqueArtCity