Artist(s): Tania Bruguera
Date: January 1, 1997
Cabeza abajo (Head down) (1997) by Tania Bruguera was a performance that elucidated the collective loss perpetuated by war and state-sanctioned violence. Bruguera, clad in white face paint and a robe resembling lambskin, walked atop a pile of interlocking bodies composed of all Cuban volunteers. Her gaze was affixed to the foundation of limbs supporting her beneath her feet. Bruguera then ritualistically tied several participants’ eyes, mouths, hands, and feet with red fabric. Each time she did so, she also tied an analogous red strip to her own body and placed a red flag next to the individual. These actions were soundtracked by Nueva Trova music, a genre stemming from the Cuban Revolution.
The video documentation of Cabeza abajo was presented in the exhibition Vistas Nuevas: Recent Video from Cuba at The Kitchen in 2000.