Regina José Galindo
Encyclopedia
Regina José Galindo is a Guatemala
n performance artist who specializes in body art
. She was born in Guatemala City
.
in 1999, and gained international fame. One of her well-known acts include ¿Quién Puede Borrar las Huellas? (Translated: "Who Can Erase the Traces"), made in 2003, in which she walked from the Congress of Guatemala
building to the National Palace
, dipping her bare feet at intervals in a white basin full of human blood as a vigorous protest against the presidential candidacy of Guatemala’s former dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt.
Another of her notable works was titled Perra (2005), in which she carved the Spanish
word perra, or bitch, on her legs, in protest against violence against women
.
She frequently collaborates with other art
performers, including compatriot Aníbal López
.
in 2005, in the category of “artists under 30”, for her video Himenoplastia. This work, nevertheless, got a particularly hostile reception during its first showing in Guatemala, in 2004. The controversial work depicted surgical reconstruction of the artist’s hymen
.
A book on Galindo’s performance work has been published in Italy (Vanilla Edizioni, 2006). Galindo is also a writer of poetry and narrative; in 1998 she received the Myrna Mack Foundation's Premio Unico de Poesía in Guatemala for Personal e intransmisible (Scripta Coloquia, 2000).
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n performance artist who specializes in body art
Body art
Body art is art made on, with, or consisting of, the human body. The most common forms of body art are tattoos and body piercings, but other types include scarification, branding, scalpelling, shaping , full body tattoo and body painting.More extreme body art can involve things such as mutilation...
. She was born in Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
.
Performances
She first gave two performances in GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
in 1999, and gained international fame. One of her well-known acts include ¿Quién Puede Borrar las Huellas? (Translated: "Who Can Erase the Traces"), made in 2003, in which she walked from the Congress of Guatemala
Congress of Guatemala
The Congress of the Republic is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Guatemala.It comprises 158 deputies, who are elected by direct universal suffrage to serve four-year terms . Twenty-nine of these are elected from nationwide lists, with the rest on a district list basis...
building to the National Palace
National Palace (Guatemala)
Known as Palacio Nacional de la Cultura , it is identified as Guatemala City's symbol in its monumental architectural context. It was the most important building in Guatemala and was the headquarters of the President of Guatemala...
, dipping her bare feet at intervals in a white basin full of human blood as a vigorous protest against the presidential candidacy of Guatemala’s former dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt.
Another of her notable works was titled Perra (2005), in which she carved the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word perra, or bitch, on her legs, in protest against violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
.
She frequently collaborates with other art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
performers, including compatriot Aníbal López
Aníbal López
Aníbal López , full name Juarez Aníbal Asdrubal López, is an artist and a native of Guatemala. He began his career creating figurative art influenced by expressionism. He has worked in several media, including acrylic and oil on canvas, photography, and video...
.
Recognition
Galindo received the Golden Lion award at the Venice BiennaleVenice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 2005, in the category of “artists under 30”, for her video Himenoplastia. This work, nevertheless, got a particularly hostile reception during its first showing in Guatemala, in 2004. The controversial work depicted surgical reconstruction of the artist’s hymen
Hymen
The hymen is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia. The size of the hymenal opening increases with age. Although an often practiced method, it is not possible to confirm with certainty that a girl or woman is a...
.
A book on Galindo’s performance work has been published in Italy (Vanilla Edizioni, 2006). Galindo is also a writer of poetry and narrative; in 1998 she received the Myrna Mack Foundation's Premio Unico de Poesía in Guatemala for Personal e intransmisible (Scripta Coloquia, 2000).
List of works
| Year | Performance | Location | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | “ALARMA” | Banco de España Metro Station, Madrid, Spain | A Site–specific video installation by Regina José Galindo, commissioned by La Caja Blanca for the tunnels adjacent to the vaults which protect Spain’s national gold reserves. | |
| 2007 | “Confesión” | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | Inspired by waterboarding Waterboarding Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning... . Based on recently declassified CIA documents. A videotape of this performance was presented as an installation during the Sydney Biennial of 2010. A videotape of this performance was presented as an installation at the Venice Biennial of 2009. ‘Performing Torture’, Essay by Professor Julian Stallabrass, preface to "Confesión", Regina José Galindo, to be published in 2011. |
|
| 2006 | “Corona” | Plaza Central, Guatemala City | installation, conmemorating over 6040 killings during the Año de la Paz | |
| 2005 | “Perra” | Prometeo Galery, Milan, Italy | self-flagellation with a knife, carving the word "perra" into her skin, protesting the killing of women | |
| 2004 | “El Peso de la Sangre” | Plaza Central, Guatemala City | sitting under structure in plaza as a liter of blood emptied, drop by drop, over Galindo's head and clothes | |
| 2003 | “¿Quién puede borrar las huellas?” | Guatemala City | Galindo walked through the streets carrying a bowl of human blood, repeatedly stepping in the bowl to create bloody footprints | |
| 2001 | “Angelina” | Guatemala | during this work, Galindo spent one month dressed as a maid | |
| 2000 | “Sobremesa” | Guatemala City | performance/installation | |
| 1999 | “El cielo llora tanto que debería ser mujer” | Guatemala City and Madrid, Spain | ||
| “Lo voy a gritar al viento” | Guatemala City |
External links
- Profile at Literatura Guatemalteca
- Article at Parvis.net
- BOMB Magazine article
- Projects by Regina José Galindo in Spain
- The Artist.org Entry of Galindo
- Artist listing at Prometeogallery di Ida Pisani, the Italian gallery representing Regina José Galindo