Reconocimiento de un cuerpo (Identification of a Body), 2008

As part of her politically motivated practice, Guatemalan-born artist Regina José Galindo addresses the vulnerability of society. By placing herself in harrowing situations, she tests her own endurance for suffering and acknowledges the lengthy civil war endured by her native country between 1960 and 1996.

The performance documented in this video took place in Argentina and commemorates los desaparecidos, or "the disappeared," citizens who were secretly abducted or imprisoned by Argentina’s military dictatorship (1976–1983). Galindo lies still on a gurney in a morgue, her eyes closed, her naked body covered by a thin white sheet, as she takes part in the all-too-familiar ritual performed by those who live in countries plagued by state-sponsored violence. "In Latin America," Galindo has said of this work, "people know exactly what they have to do when they see a covered body."