☽ ṜΣḒ ḾØØ₦ ₮ῘḒΣ ☾

Ana Mendieta depicted goddess figures throughout her oeuvre in a variety of media, including leaves, fire, earth and, as in this piece, a rock wall carving that has been photographed. Like many artists in the 1970s, Mendieta was interested in the feminist reclamation of goddess imagery and the idea of a pre-patriarchal society in which women’s social role was celebrated. Like those created by her feminist counterparts, Mendieta’s goddess has exaggerated sexual features that emphasize fertility, including large thighs. This particular limestone carving was made in Jaruco, Cuba, about an hour outside of Havana, and refers to a Taíno goddess from an ancestral heritage that the artist identified as her own.