Themes | Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985 Digital Archive

Self-Portrait / Autorretrato

Works that present conceptual and psychological narratives that challenge canonical, reductive notions of beauty and female identity, claiming a space for critical self-expression

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Marisol, Self-Portrait, 1961–62

Me gritaron negra (They shouted black at me), by Victoria Santa Cruz, 1978

Victoria Santa Cruz, Me gritaron negra (They shouted black at me), 1978

Portrait of Patssi, by Patssi Valdez, 1975

Patssi Valdez, Portrait of Patssi, 1975

Body Landscape / El cuerpo en paisaje

These artists explored intimate experiences of nature, created metamorphic relations with landscape, constructed ephemeral situations that symbolize the disappearance of cultures, expressed concerns about the effects of human activity on the earth, and depicted the body freely relating to the natural environment

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Passagem (Passage), by Celeida Tostes, 1979

Celeida Tostes, Passagem (Passage), 1979

Paisaje de mar en cuerda (Seascape in rope), by Delfina Bernal, 1966

Delfina Bernal, Paisaje de mar en cuerda (Seascape in rope), 1966

Silvia Gruner, Arena (Sand), 1986

Performing the Body / Presentando el cuerpo

In the 1960s artists began to combine the language of visual arts with that of contemporary dance and corporeal expression to explore new forms of subjectivity and sociability

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Passing Through, Sonnabend Gallery, by Sylvia Palacios Whitman, 1977

Sylvia Palacios Whitman, Passing Through, Sonnabend Gallery, 1977

Para um corpo nas suas impossibilidades (For a body in its impossibilities), by Martha Araújo, 1985

Martha Araújo, Para um corpo nas suas impossibilidades (For a body in its impossibilities), 1985

Cabeza amarrada (Bound head), by Cecilia Vicuña, 1970

Cecilia Vicuña, Cabeza amarrada (Bound head), 1970

Mapping the Body / Cartografiar el cuerpo

These experimental works introduced radical changes in how the body was represented, freeing it from biologically and culturally conditioned, essentialist definitions of female subjectivity

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O eu e o tu: Roupa-corpo-roupa (The I and the you: Cloth-body-cloth), by Lygia Clark, 1967

Lygia Clark, O eu e o tu: Roupa-corpo-roupa (The I and the you: Cloth-body-cloth), 1967

Untitled (hands and triangle), by Liliana Porter, 1973

Liliana Porter, Untitled (hands and triangle), 1973

Sorriso do menina (Girl’s smile), by Amelia Toledo, 1976

Amelia Toledo, Sorriso do menina (Girl’s smile), 1976

Resistance and Fear / Resistencia y miedo

As powerful expressions of political resistance, these works stand against official methods of instilling fear and record traumatic events that official archives have failed to document

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Más allá del estado de sitio (Beyond the state of siege), Sonia Gutiérrez, 1976

Sonia Gutiérrez, Más allá del estado de sitio (Beyond the state of siege), 1976

Toma del batallón 601 (The capture of battalion 601), from the series Diagramas de batallas (Battle diagrams), by Margarita Paksa, 1975

Margarita Paksa, Toma del batallón 601 (The capture of battalion 601), from the series Diagramas de batallas (Battle diagrams), 1975

América no invoco tu nombre en vano (America, I don't invoke your name in vain), by Gracia Barrios, 1970

Gracia Barrios, América no invoco tu nombre en vano (America, I don't invoke your name in vain), 1970

The Power of Words / El poder de las palabras

This section presents artworks that use the written word to describe the experiences of torture, oppression, machismo, and invisibility, as well as the poetics of subjectivity

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Sin título (Untitled), by Gloria Gómez-Sánchez, 1970

Gloria Gómez-Sánchez, Sin título (Untitled), 1970

Limitada (Limited), by Marie Orensanz, 1978/2013

Marie Orensanz, Limitada (Limited), 1978/2013

Vaso de leche, Bogotá (Glass of milk, Bogotá), by Cecilia Vicuña, 1979

Cecilia Vicuña, Vaso de leche, Bogotá (Glass of milk, Bogotá), 1979

Feminisms / Feminismos

This section includes works by artists who explored ways of articulating women's rights from the perspective of feminist activism

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Pregnant Woman in a Ball of Yarn, by Barbara Carrasco, 1978

Barbara Carrasco, Pregnant Woman in a Ball of Yarn, 1978

El pene como instrumento de trabajo (The penis as a work instrument), by Maris Bustamante, 1982

Maris Bustamante, El pene como instrumento de trabajo (The penis as a work instrument), 1982

Interrogations sur la femme (Interrogations about woman), by Lea Lublin, 1978

Lea Lublin, Interrogations sur la femme (Interrogations about woman), 1978

Social Places / Lugares sociales

The artworks in this section assert that the social is personal and therefore politically constituted, and give agency to disenfranchised groups such as transgender people, indigenous people, the disabled, and those who were targeted by dictatorial regimes or repressive societies

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La palmera (The palm tree), from the series La manzana de Adán (Adam’s apple), by Paz Errázuriz, 1982–90

Paz Errázuriz, La palmera (The palm tree), from the series La manzana de Adán (Adam’s apple), 1982–90

Qué hacen ellas mientras ellos trabajan? (What are the women doing while the men are at work?), by Clemencia Lucena, 1970

Clemencia Lucena, Qué hacen ellas mientras ellos trabajan? (What are the women doing while the men are at work?), 1970

Edita (la del plumero), Panamá (Edita [the one with the feather duster], Panama), from the series La servidumbre (Servitude), by Sandra Eleta, 1978–89

Sandra Eleta, Edita (la del plumero), Panamá (Edita [the one with the feather duster], Panama), from the series La servidumbre (Servitude), 1978–89

The Erotic / Lo erótico

The artists featured in this section approached erotic subject matter with a sense of humor or playfulness and a critical eye toward stereotypical views of female sexuality, giving visibility to its psychological complexities

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Caixa de fazer amor (Lovemaking box), by Teresinha Soares, 1967

Teresinha Soares, Caixa de fazer amor (Lovemaking box), 1967

Ruido (Noise), by Karen Lamassonne, 1984

Karen Lamassonne, Ruido (Noise), 1984

Lunar V (Moon V), by Zilia Sánchez, 1973

Zilia Sánchez, Lunar V (Moon V), ca. 1973