Astrid Haddad

Astrid Haddad is a Mexican performance artist who was born on February 26, 1957. Astrid attended the National Autonomous University of New Mexico where she discovered her passion for performance and began appearing in multiple shows from musicals to operas. She is a unique artist in that she makes iconic references in her performances through song choices and musical genres as well as her selection of costumes. Her costumes reflect an actual scenery in motion as they encompass multiple props and a live depiction of art.
Out of the multiple art pieces that we analyzed this week, I was particularly interested in Haddad’s work as she has incorporated pieces of art that are recognized all over the world and have impacted Mexican culture. After looking up some of her performances and her website, I found some of her presentations which included a tribute to día de Los Muertos, las Fiestas Patrias and Tierras Misteriosas, all different events that have shaped Mexico. In tierras misteriosas, she does a tribute to la Malinche and the enslavement of natives because of the Spanish conquest. This tribute shows that not only Chicanas are reclaiming the identity of la Malinche, Mexican artist are also challenging the ideas that have been taught throughout history. Astrid has done something similar in challenging the idea of what it means to be a woman by identifying as a showgirl and not just a typical performer. Astrid has defined the roles of an average performer by being herself and a representation of her Mexican culture.