Unseen Mendieta: The Unpublished Works of Ana Mendieta

Among the most compelling and iconic images of art in the
1970s are the pioneering investigations of performance and
experimental media by Ana Mendieta. An American artist born
in Cuba, she explored in her work her Caribbean roots through
the lens of exile. She meticulously documented her ephemeral
site-specific artworks, on beaches and in rivers, across flowery
fields, and against walls of rock. Here for the first time, Olga
Viso, the leading authority on the artist, presents a beautifully
curated representative selection of photographs and drawings
from the artist s archive, only a small selection of which has
been previously published. The volume traces Mendieta s early
studies as an art student in Iowa; the genesis of her signature
works, the archetypal female forms known as siluetas; and
public art projects, including ones being developed at the
time of her tragic death in 1985. Interspersed throughout are
revealing pages from Mendieta s notebooks: sketches,
shopping lists for materials, recipes for gunpowder mixtures,
and photographic source materials. Viso s accompanying
essay reveals the artist s experimental approach and rigorous
working methods, provides insights into the forces that
inspired and shaped her work, and shows how the genius of
Mendieta s vision has survived its physical manifestations.