Josè Regina Galindo

Regina José Galindo, one of the most compelling artists from Central America, was born in Guatemala in 1974, where she currently lives and works. Her childhood and adolescence coincided with the most violent episodes of the Ríos Montt regime during the Guatemalan Civil War (1982-1983). She reflects on this traumatic upbringing, stating, "We grew up with the idea that we could do nothing. We couldn't even go out into the street without our parents worrying about us. We didn't really understand what was happening. We just had the feeling that the walls had ears. The previous generation of intellectuals and artists had all been assassinated, so when the peace agreements were finally signed, we all went out to protest in the streets."

Galindo's work, particularly in her performances and photographic pieces, focuses on the condition of women and the various forms of violence and subjugation faced by marginalized individuals in society. Rejecting contemporary strategies of seduction, she portrays the brutal truth by embodying the victims and taking on the role of the "submissive." This often challenges the viewer, as she gives testimony to the suffering of others, embodying the weak, the humble, the tortured, and the oppressed, highlighting the limitations of both body and mind.

"My body is not just an individual body, but a social body, a collective body, a global body. To be or reflect through myself the experience of the other; because we are all ourselves and at the same time we are others," she asserts.

Among her notable works in the Iannaccone collection is the powerful piece ¿Quién puede borrar las huellas? (Who Can Erase the Footprints?), stemming from a 2003 performance for which she received the Golden Lion for Best Young Artist at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005. In this performance, she walked from the Constitutional Court to the National Palace of Guatemala, leaving a trail of human blood footprints in memory of the victims of the armed conflict and in protest against the presidential candidacy of Efrain Ríos Montt, an ex-military figure associated with genocide and coups.

In 2006, she presented Limpieza social (Social Cleansing), a photograph derived from a performance where she said, "I come washed with a pressure pump, a tool used to disperse protesters or to wash detainees just arriving in prison." Another significant work, Piedra (Stone), from 2013, features a photograph that may appear sculptural to the viewer. The bodies, while fragile in appearance, retain every emotion, including hatred and resentment, akin to a stone, which she transforms into energy and life. Through her art, Galindo powerfully addresses the intersections of gender, violence, and collective memory, making her a pivotal voice in contemporary art.