Among the most compelling and iconic images of art in the

1970s are the pioneering investigations of performance and

experimental media by Ana Mendieta. An American artist born

in Cuba, she explored in her work her Caribbean roots through

the lens of exile. She meticulously documented her ephemeral

site-specific artworks, on beaches and in rivers, across flowery

fields, and against walls of rock. Here for the first time, Olga

Viso, the leading authority on the artist, presents a beautifully

curated representative selection of photographs and drawings

from the artist s archive, only a small selection of which has

been previously published. The volume traces Mendieta s early

studies as an art student in Iowa; the genesis of her signature

works, the archetypal female forms known as siluetas; and

public art projects, including ones being developed at the

time of her tragic death in 1985. Interspersed throughout are

revealing pages from Mendieta s notebooks: sketches,

shopping lists for materials, recipes for gunpowder mixtures,

and photographic source materials. Viso s accompanying

essay reveals the artist s experimental approach and rigorous

working methods, provides insights into the forces that

inspired and shaped her work, and shows how the genius of

Mendieta s vision has survived its physical manifestations.

OLGA VISO served as director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

in Washington, D.C. before being named director of the Walker Art Center in

Minneapolis in 2008. She is the author of several books on contemporary Latin

American art. She lives in Minneapolis, MN.