Artist Presentation - Ana Mendieta

The presentation on Ana Mendieta is one that I greatly appreciated, especially because I was fortunate enough to be a part of the CCS 188 Radical Women in Latin American course offered in the Fall of this year. Mendieta is one artist we covered in great detail because of the political importance of her work and trauma she endured before and after her death as a woman of color. Furthermore, the presentation became a reflective process for me because I had the opportunity to not only learn about her work, but also see it in its authentic form at the Hammer Museum during the Radical Women in Latin American Art exhibit. I appreciated myself and my learning process because I was able to contribute to what was presented about Mendieta in class. I think the presenter did an amazing job at covering some of her most critical works that covered an array of topics that affect women of color, such as mental health, sexual abuse/trauma, and gendered representations of women. The piece I find most impactful was the Rape Scene performance work she created. One thing that was not discussed in class, but I would like to reiterate, is that this performance lasted 14+ hours. She took it upon herself to take an issue that happens too often on college campuses where students are supposed to be "safe," but are almost always impacted by sexual assault and violence. Its fascinating to think that Mendieta was in her undergraduate education and was able to take such a heavy and violent topic and bring the attention that is never given by the university administration. It has made me reflect on what it is that I'm doing to ensure that I am also advocating for my community and trying to find creative ways to bring change to our communities.