Estefania Hidalgo Photography

Family Bond

University project for my moving image module, exploring the relationship between art and science and how it relates to my personal life.

ShadowAlterEgo

Quería que entendieras cuánto te extraño. Que pudieras entender que aunque ya no nos pertenecemos, siempre serás parte de mi. Es casi imposible describir lo que nos pasó, casi inútil intentar hacerlo. Pensar en ti me causa ansiedad perpetua y ganas de gritar “¡¿POR QUÉ?!” a los cuatro vientos. Lo que recuerdo de ti, ya no existe. Hoy digo tu nombre con decepción, como debe sentirse un padre al perder un hijo. Quisiera poder decir que volveremos y que todo será como antes, pero sabemos que el ayer tampoco era perfecto y el mañana parece improbable.                                         para la patria (aunque sea la palabra casi prohibida)...

Chucrut

las olvidadas (sin retocar)...

In the sunny Pérez art museum of Miami, inside a room brought together by a strong presence of landscapes and nature, we find the work of Cuban artist Ana Mendieta.

Titled Silueta, Mendieta reveals a series of photographs – part of a wider production of over 100 prints.

Compared to other items in this particular room of the museum, Mendieta’s photographs are almost buried in the background. On first impression these photographs are simple and small next to the other pieces of art in the room, but with a closer look we can see that these are not some ordinary pictures; there’s a reason why the curator included them in this particular ensemble.

Placed by themselves against one of the biggest walls in the gallery – opposite a massive painting of the Cuban coast – we can see 12 pictures set in a line, almost mimicking the horizontal line of the sea. Intertwined formats throughout the exhibition create a sense of rhythm, as though the work is moving. Most of the images lack sharpness, as to indicate that Ana wasn’t aiming for a perfect image, but rather a powerful message.  The presence of the female body repeats itself in all of the photographs.  Each “earthy body art” has a raw and powerful character. Each feels different and unique in doing so. There’s a clear subject matter, representing female empowerment and, simultaneously, feminine vulnerability. Frame by frame there’s the contrast of the sculptures, made with the artist’s body, against the nature of the background and the natural light. In some of them the sculpture almost blends in with its surroundings – delicate flowers, mud and dirt – whereas in others there’s a presence of blood and death that’s impossible to ignore.

The four basic elements of nature all feature heavily within the work, complimenting and contrasting one another to emit the turbulent nature of her existence and perhaps the human condition in general.

Ana Mendieta is famous for breaking the barriers between art disciplines, juggling the almost impossible task of being photographer, videographer, sculptor and art performer all at once.  Despite the experimentation with different disciplines, she always seems to go back to the same topics. Having to flee Cuba when she was young made the island and it’s culture a recurrent subject in her work.

She’s also known for her pioneering feminist views that have been a key element to her art. We can see both of these things mixed in the exhibition since she uses goddess deities of Santeria – an old Cuban religion- as the aesthetic of this series of pictures.

As a Latin-American female immigrant myself, I feel deeply attached to Mendieta’s work. I feel her art can transcend the walls of the museum to be the cornerstone for future Latin American feminists. Her art is timeless and universal, it calls for social change. Her faceless bodies in the nature landscape can be attached to all women out there looking for an identity.

Honeymoonson...

It took me a long time to learn to incorporate people in my pictures, they felt unnecessary at first, almost annoying. I’m glad I’ve learnt how wrong I was...

culture shock

noun

the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

(a human necessity)

Noname

Sun in Marruecos

Sometimes I wonder if traveling is more in the memory than in the moment. I see these pictures (pictures I took more than a year ago) and I get transported. I feel the warmth and I remember that summer when I was on cloud 9. I didn’t know it back then... I know that now, NOW. And (that) makes me wanna travel again... to remember...

- It’s cold outside, you wanna stay in? - Why? - Im tired, my bones hurt. - What about life? - Life goes on out there... without us.

“Che cosa avete contro la nostalgia, eh? È l'unico svago che resta per chi è diffidente verso il futuro, l'unico...”

“What do you have against nostalgia, eh? It is the only entertainment that remains for those who are wary of the future, the only one...” La Grande Bellezza quote

Found this old film I don’t really remember where the pictures are from or why I took them they are just random like life…

Essa

I’m sorry but I don’t understand when you say it wasn’t worth it …

Would you really take away all those sunny days, all those bitter coffees at inappropriate hours…?

Would you not miss from your pictures those stressful moments that got us where we are?

How could you get by without every fight, every stinky-shared pillow, and every uncomfortable minute that brought us closer…? 

I will never erase those looks (sometimes awkward silences, sometimes just not having the need to talk), the beautiful meals, the countless stories, and the sun… the light! 

I will never forget the light…