Ana Mendieta, Silueta, Works in Mexico, 1973-1977. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Color photograph, 19 3/8 X 26 9/16. Purchased with grant provided by the Judith Rothchild Foundation.Ana Mendieta’s, Silueta Works in Mexico, illustrates an image, a silhouette, of her body which also offers the illusion of a sword stained with blood. Mendieta sought closure regarding her homeland Cuba as she was being exposed to a whole new world in the USA. The two were apparent in how individuals experienced life as portrayed in this piece of art.
Now exposed to “freedom” without boundary and repression, the picture demonstrates how Mendieta fought with a form of guilt and disenchantment. The title illustrates a defining moment for Mendieta—Silueta/Silhouette: a likeness cut from dark material and mounted on light ground. This picture displays such canning symbolism expressed by the artist. Cuba as the “dark material”, Mendieta, herself and/or a representation of all the refugees as the “silueta”, “mounded on light ground” the orphanage in Iowa.