Marta María Pérez Bravo
¡Ay, Santa Clara, por tu madre!

¡Ay, Santa Clara, por tu madre!
¡Ay, Santa Clara, por tu madre!
¡Ay, Santa Clara, por tu madre!
CultureCuban
Titles
  • ¡Ay, Santa Clara, por tu madre!
Date1996
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage/Sheet: 19 7/8 × 15 7/8 in. (50.5 × 40.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Joan Morgenstern in honor of Gay Block
Object number2003.909
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

In ¡Ay, Santa Clara, pour tu madre!, Marta
María Pérez Bravo makes a kind of house with her body, and by doing so offers a
plea to Saint Clare for both help with problems in her home and help obtaining
a house. This photograph is part of a series that Pérez Bravo began in 1983
about popular Cuban superstitions. By combining physical performance with
self-made props and text, in this case the title of the photograph, Pérez Bravo’s
photographs become theatrical explorations of the spiritual aspects of
Afrocubano ritual, history and myth.




The photographs in the series contained significant
allusions to religion, superstitions, and popular beliefs which were considered
taboo amidst the Cuban social doctrines of the time, though commonly practiced.
One of these common Cuban practices would be offering a little wooden house as
a plea to the Catholic Saint Clare for help with problems that might occur in a
household.



ProvenanceJoan Morgenstern, Houston; given to MFAH, 2003.
Exhibition History"Ruptures and Continuities: Photography Made after 1960 from the MFAH Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Foundation Galleries, February 21 - May 9, 2010.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
in pencil on verso lower left: " i AY, SANTA CLARA, POR TU MADRE !" 1996 / 9/15 ; top left corner: 1848
in pencil on verso lower right MM Perez

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Siete juramentos
Marta María Pérez Bravo
2000
Gelatin silver print
2024.197
Omo Obbatala
Marta María Pérez Bravo
1998
Gelatin silver print
2024.196
La mano poderosa
Marta María Pérez Bravo
1996
Gelatin silver print
98.717
Clara Porset Chair
Lola Álvarez Bravo
c. 1955
Gelatin silver print
99.693
Feuervogel
Marta Hoepffner
1940
Gelatin silver print, photogram
2011.990
Light 182/12
Marta Povo
1984, printed 1989
Gelatin silver print
91.1005
Marta Povo
1991
Chromogenic print
93.99
Marta Povo
1991
Chromogenic print
93.100
Payment of The Argentine Foreign Debt to Andy Warhol with Corn, The Latin American Gold
Marta Minujín
1985, printed 2010
Series of three digital C-prints registering a 12 shoot performance, edition 3/3 + AP
2022.192.1-.3
Brooch
Marta Breis
1983
Silver, copper, steel, and cotton
2003.924
Earring
Marta Breis
c. 1983
Silver, copper, steel, and cotton
2003.925
Fossil Brooch
Märta Mattsson
2012
Cicadas, glitter, crushed copper ore, silver, and resin
2016.121