In the journal article Presence’ in Absentia: Experiencing Performance as Documentation, Amelia Jones contends that in order to learn about performance art, documentation is required for reflection to take place. Jones goes on to observe that “the body art event needs the photograph to confirm it is having happened; the photograph needs the body art event” which shows that if an artwork is to survive the test of time, both elements of the presentation are needed in order for the work to be a success. This is an interesting hypothesis when balanced against the work of Ana Mendieta; the ‘Silueta Series’ is photographed at its point of loss and disintegration, therefore while the photograph provides evidence that the Silueta occurred, it also at the same time shows the absence of the Silueta just as equally - the photograph is the captured moment of unbounded space and time.
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In her personal writings, Mendieta explains:
‘In galleries and museums, the earth-body sculptures come to the viewers by way of photos, because the work necessarily always stays in situ. Because of this and due to the impermanence of the sculptures the photographs become a very vital part of my work.’
In fact, in an interview with Dr. Joan Marter, she contends that her works are both ‘body earthwork and photo.’
It is a matter of debate, however, as to whether this definition of Mendieta’s work ought to include all photographs and slides (with more than 100 silhouettes, there are thousands of slides in her archive), all estate prints (photographs printed after her death), only lifetime prints, or only those explicitly paired with sculptures by Mendieta herself. From each complete reel of film – and she would usually use one per work – she would select just the one print to crop and render as the photographic counterpart to the ephemeral event. Her chosen images were usually shot from directly above or in front and always tightly cropped, not showing anything much of the landscape, focusing instead on the trace of her body. This makes it hard for the viewer to glean any sense of scale or proportion, a property that Mendieta described as ‘magical’
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I believe that Mendieta's work coexists with what is permanent and eternal. Extremely powerful and moving works are an example of how the artist used an internal struggle to communicate them, choosing the right materials and processes to enhance them. By placing the outline of the body in the elements of the earth, she used emerging feminist theories of connecting the personal with the political. Her death touched many feminists in the art world and remains controversial to this day. I liked her technique and the work she did, there is something about them that is worth digging into. It is difficult for me to refer to one work by Ana because each of her works represents her different thoughts and visions. When choosing the photos, I chose these two because I feel a connection with nature myself, and the artist helped me understand that everything leaves traces, her works catch the eye even of people not related to photography and give a lot to think about. She tried to make everything realistic as evidenced by the fact that she used the blood of animals. I will take a closer look at her work and decide whether a similar technique of communication will be useful to me in the future because a lot is happening now and little is said about controversial topics that Ana also showed in her works.
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