Tag Archives: Cross Over

I was procrastinating, yet again, on youtube this morning, and came across something that caught my attention. It was trailer for a film I hadn’t heard about called Bloodwork – The Anna Mendieta Story. The film, made by Richard Move, mixes interviews (with Carolee Scneeman, B. Ruby Rich, Yvonne Rainer, Jose Esteban Munoz, and Lisa Paul Streitfeld) with super 8 recreations of Mendieta’s performative works.

A few years ago, a friend recommended that I read Robert Katz’s Naked by the Window, which is a ‘crime novel’, about the events that occurred at 300 Mercer Street, on September 8th 1985, which created a fissure within the New York art scene. One side of the New York art world circling wagons around Andre, and another committed to seeing justice pursed on behalf of Mendieta.

While the book is flawed, and is clearly written by someone with a limited knowledge of contemporary art, it’s the most comprehensive account of what happened. What made the book all the more compelling, is the fact that the trial took place during my first few years at art school in New York. In some ways it was my introduction to the art world, sadly enough.

When I looked at Move’s Director’s Notes, I saw that Galerie Lelong, which represents Mendieta’s estate, had no interest in collaborating on the film. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.