Untitled (Chicken Piece, shot #2)

1972, 2:57 min, color, silent

This is one of Mendieta's most visceral body-based works; it introduces the recurrent motifs of blood and feathers. Standing naked against a white background, Mendieta watches as a white hen is decapitated. She then holds the still writhing body as its blood covers her stomach and legs. The sacrifice of the chicken relates to cult rituals of the artist's native Cuba.

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