Untitled (from the Sandwoman series)

Upon Ana Mendieta's return to Cuba, an avid search for her ethnic and cultural roots was manifested. In order to satisfy this search, she quickly established relationships with some of the most prestigious local artists, as well as with a younger generation of creative talents where I had many friends. Ours was a frienship loaded with conversations, casual meetings, and outings to cultural and historical sites. Ana was particularly interested in ethnographical questions, religion, and indeed all subjects that would nurture her creativity. A mutual interchange of works and ideas consolidated our friendship.
To me, this monumental work embodies an ancient femenine figure, her traces left behind in a sacred site once conceived as a refuge or birthplace. One where only Ana had the ability to appropriate as her own and reveal its enigmas to us.

Umberto Peña
Miami, 2002