It's sort of forward-thinking to be posting this on Tuesday, but I just saw this e-flux promo for the Ana Mendieta show at The Whitney that piqued my interest:
Embracing the aims of feminism, Mendieta quietly subverted the monumental gestures of male land artists such as Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer by working at a human scale in the landscape. Critical of the exclusion of artists of diverse races and ethnicities from the art world and early feminism, she vehemently asserted her own trans-cultural identity. Borrowing freely from a variety of cultural traditions throughout the world, she frequently appropriated symbols and aspects of the ritual practices of ancient and indigenous cultures of the Americas, Africa, and Europe in her art. While abnegating all forms of boundaries, Mendieta's cipher -- the naked female form that performs in the studio, merges with the landscape, is etched on a leaf, or is burned into the soil or a tree trunk -- remained at the center of her production.
For the first time in a long while, I am actually going to peek at all of the exhibitions.
The Whitney is pay-as-you-wish on Friday evenings from 6-9PM, and as you frequent readers know, I saw Orlan in the shop (buying the Guerrilla Girls latest manifesta) last time, so it's bound to be interesting again.
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