REGINA JOSE GALINDO

Exhibited for the first time since entering the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, Regina José Galindo’s Tierra (2013) explores connections between the exploitation of labor, resources, and human life in Guatemala. Presented at a larger-than-life scale, Galindo stands naked on a parcel of land that is excavated by an encroaching bulldozer. Conjuring imagery of machine-dug mass graves, the work draws attention to the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people, mostly Maya Ixil, during the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–96). As the excavator digs around her, the artist stands fixed and unrelenting. Galindo recalls, “That is what I wanted to underscore in Tierra: around me there is nothing but chaos and theft, but I remain on my feet, ready to fight, to defend the land that roots me.” This presentation is part of a collaboration between The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1, where works from MoMA will premiere annually.