Invisible Bodies of War: The Guatemalan Civil War in Isabel Ruiz and Regina José Galindo’s Work

Sebastian Barajas

Advisor: Dr. Adele Nelson

Abstract

This thesis examines the use of the body, both seen and unseen, as a symbol of loss and trauma in the works of Isabel Ruiz (b. 1945) and Regina José Galindo (b. 1974) by analyzing key concepts in their practices and drawing connections between their works. Despite being of different generations and rarely discussed together, I argue that Ruiz and Galindo similarly incorporate unseen bodies to process the trauma inflicted by the Guatemalan Civil War. The body furthermore often acts as a symbol for the lives lost and the collective trauma carried by members of this nation. Both artists began their careers as a response to the violence of the thirty-six year long Guatemalan Civil War, an armed conflict that lasted from 1960–1996, resulting in the massacre, disappearance, and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans. I provide further framework on the literature present for Ruiz and Galindo, explaining artistic concepts identified in their works, and how these women draw inspiration from the same source, yet are never discussed in tandem. I discuss the works of Ruiz including paintings, a sculpture, and an installation, to demonstrate how the artist uses the presence and absence of the body to mourn and remember those who lost their lives during this war. In her performances, Galindo employs the presence and absence of the body, particularly her own to trace the violence that began during the war and continues long after peace accords were signed by the Guatemalan government.