Childbirth, death, and the nature between it all is exactly what Ana mendieta explored in her work. Her themes of feminism, humanity, and violence were only heightened through her tragic and controversial death.
She was born in Cuba, but at a young age came to America with her younger sister. It would be a number of years before seeing their mother again, and even longer to see their father, as he was a political prisoner.
She first explored using the human body and preformance art at the university of Iowa. Her work uses blood, her body, and photography to enstill an uneasy, curious feeling in the viewer. She expertly draws the viewers attention to parts of the body we are meant to ignore and hide. She subverts the feminine ideal through her facial hair self portraits and glass to body images- a concept suprisingly modern for its time. 
The work she is most known for is her 'Silueta' series. She pushes the boundaries of what we can recognize as human form. These works have such a beautiful, soft ephemmeral nature. She uses parts of nature intwined with her body, feeling nostalgic for a pre industrial time. Her work is temporary, subject to to the thrawls of nature, is only observable to most through photography. This brings a sense of intimacy and presence to her work.
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