Ana Mendieta

Ana Mendieta’s Untitled (Body Tracks) (1974) is a striking example of the artist’s use of the body as both medium and message. In this brief yet powerful performance, Mendieta drags her blood-covered hands down a wall, creating a visceral imprint of movement and presence. The resulting traces serve as both an intimate self-portrait and a universal reflection on themes of identity, violence, and displacement.

As a Cuban exile, Mendieta’s work is deeply rooted in notions of belonging and loss. The act of marking the surface with her own body becomes an assertion of existence—an ephemeral yet forceful claim to space. In its small yet potent gesture, Untitled (Body Tracks) embodies the essence of Petits, a project that emphasizes the profound impact of the minimal, the fleeting, and the intimate. Mendieta’s act is one of quiet rebellion: a seemingly simple trace left behind becomes an enduring statement of resilience, memory, and personal history.