Ana Mendieta: Earthbound

This solo-exhibition shows, for the first time in Belgium, a wider selection of works by the Cuban-born artist Ana Mendieta (1948–1985). 43 years after she performed at the ICC (Internationaal Cultureel Centrum) on April 24, 1976, Antwerp welcomes her art again. Her sculptural filmworks and photographs position themselves effortlessly in today’s international canon of contemporary art and will be shown for the first time ever in the context of an outdoor sculpture park, at the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp. This project will act as an enlightening introduction to Mendieta’s oeuvre in Belgium.

Earthbound showcases a selection of 14 works featuring Mendieta’s interest in the four elements: air, water, fire and earth. In the context of the sculpture collection of the Middelheim Museum, where both the artist and the visitor are always subjected to the elements, Mendieta’s artistic ideas resonate strongly with the recent developments in sculpture, installation and performance art. The project opens up perspectives on how we relate as human beings to our surrounding environment. Through a direct bodily connection with nature, Mendieta’s works seek both a means of individual self-representation and a connection to universal ancestral power. 

The exhibition offers a plurality of voices in the museum, where Mendieta’s works will be shown alongside those of present-day artists. Mendieta’s work not only persistently tests the definition of contemporary sculpture but is also inspiring for the contemporary challenges of today’s society. The framework of Bruno Latour's recent publication Facing Gaia might offer an interesting perspective for exploring the exhibited works of Mendieta. By acknowledging that nature and its elements all have agency, the artist was able to think beyond the boundaries of religion, history and identity. Similar strategies are suggested thirty years later by Bruno Latour in his proposal for realising a new climatic regime and for changing our relationship to the earth. 

It’s absolutely clear that Mendieta's artistic vision not only raises fundamental questions about normative social systems, but that it also represents a shift in perspective on recent sculpture traditions, from a vision determined by object oriented-sculpture, to one connected with land art and performance.

The exhibition is a collaboration with the Estate of Ana Mendieta Collection & Galerie Lelong & Co.

Curator: Pieter Boons

For the full press release, visit the Middelheim Museum press room.

For further press information, contact:
Rafaelle Lelievre, Middelheim Museum
rafaelle.lelievre@antwerpen.be / T +32 470 72 60 87 

Middelheim Museum
The Middelheim Museum is a unique open-air institution formed to encourage exceptional experiences through the interplay between art and nature, showcasing leading examples of modern and contemporary art within a parkland setting. The growing permanent collection provides an overview of more than a century of visual arts, with works by artists including Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Rik Wouters, Isa Genzken, Chris Burden, Andrea Zittel, Ai Weiwei, Barbara Hepworth, Bruce Nauman, Germaine Richier and Richard Deacon.

Each year, the Middelheim Museum extends an invitation to renowned and promising artists with the opportunity to engage with the context of the museum park and the Museum’s existing collection. Freed from the “white cube” format of a typical gallery space, the artists are inspired to create new work custom-made for the Middelheim Museum and its unique surrounds. Past collaborations of this kind include with Berlinde De Bruyckere, Wim Delvoye, Yoshitomo Nara, Paul McCarthy, Chris Burden, John Körmeling, Erwin Wurm among others.

With an annual average of 500,000 visitors and free entry, the Middelheim Museum is a gateway to modern and contemporary art for visitors of all ages, and offers a haven of culture and recreation to nature lovers and art experts.