Ana Mendieta: A Book of Works (Hardcover)

~ Bonnie Clearwater (Editor) "This book reproduces, in facsimile, photo etchings of Ana Mendieta's Rupestrian Sculptures, a series of female figures she carved into the walls of two caves..." (more)
Key Phrases: old mother blood, sheet edition, photo etchings (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the authors have honored (Mendieta's) desires by crating a book that speaks softly an genuinely in the artist's voice."

by Alexandra Tager -- Art & Auction magazine

When Ana Mendieta died in 1983, she was working on a book similar to this one,a slim volume of photo etchings of the life-size figures she carved into the stone walls of caves in Cuba's Jaruco State Park. The artist,a "Pedro Pan" child who was sent out of Cuba in the early days of Castro's reign,spent her short art life seeking expression for her personal exile. Inspired by Taino mythology, these pre-Columbian islanders believed the first humans emerged from a cave-Mendieta identified the Cuban caves with birth,including her own. Her intire body of work,largely a collection of photographs documenting such ephemeral art forms as earth works,performance pieces and body art,was spunon this theme of sel-identity,a return to her roots,to mother earth. Unlike her other photographic artifacts,however,these photo etchings were destined for a book, of which this is a facsimile. Her montes on the Taino myths appear as if in her own hand on these pages,along with her thoughts about how the book should be arranged. The result is an intimate experience with the artist's hand and mind and a unique act of closure for a career that ended in a still-unexplained fall from a New york high-rise.

by Helen L. Kohen -- Miami Herald (1993)

Product Description

Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta was working on many important projects that were left incomplete at the time of her tragic death in 1985 at age 36. Among these was a beautiful book of photo etchings of her carvings of female figures in remote caves on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. These sculptures were inspired by the myths and beliefs of the Tainos, preColumbian inhabitants of the West Indies. This publication reproduces in facsimile Mendieta's unfinished book of photo etchings and related works and publishes, for the first time, her notes and writings for this important project.

Mencdieta's work crosses the categories of earth art,body art,performance and conceptual photography. As her works generally were site specific and ephemeral,they became know primarily through the photographic documentation she exhibited in galleries and museums. She intended her intimate book of photo etchings to capture the experience of viewing her elusive life-size sculptures in the close quarters of the caves.

Illustrated with many never-before published photographs, this book is an important contribution to the understanding of his extraordinary artist.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 74 pages
• Publisher: Grassfield Pr (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962851442
• ISBN-13: 978-0962851445
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,088,950 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Very expensive little book...., May 26, 2007

By	Lorie Schinko (Montreal) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love this artist's work very much indeed,and purchased it as a source of learning about Ana's approach,and her take on temporal art making.
the book is interesting,but Mendieta is much more than very interesting....
the volume is very sparse, in all contexts.Tiny black and white photos, blurry and hard to define easilly.
On the upside,it has interesting diary notes from Ana!
On the whole,I would not not have bought it had I seen it in a library.Its way, way too "thin" in info,and in scope. Not a good buy, not if you want more info and samples of her work.I was dissapointed.I found I could acess the same info in on the internet.At least, the pics on the internet were clearer.
It should be sold for about 9.95,not the 50.00 plus I paid in Canadian dollars.