Performance artist Regina José Galindo was born 14 years into the bloody, 36-year armed conflict in Guatemala. The country's recent history has been marked by oppressive dictatorial regimes, the genocide of indigenous people, corruption, and a residual culture of violence in which heinous "everyday" crimes are common, most often committed against women. Galindo uses her performances to critique a wide variety of social, political, and economic situations occurring under this context, and cites her homeland as the primary inspiration for her work. Many of Galindo's performances are physically painful or degrading, but the artist believes that she has no other choice but to perform such actions. (source: Regina José Galindo: Bearing Witness, Lia Newman)
