Which artistic forms of expression are characteristic of protests in contemporary Latin America? How are protests and resistance from the past remembered? How does this memory change over time? Which artistic resistance is being reactivated today?
These questions will be answered regarding current events in Chile; the historical background are the 1970s to 1990s. In this period, artistic movements had to react to political repression and leave the institutions marked by censorship (Ramírez 1999: 55). Until then common categorical distinctions were dissolved; art, politics and pedagogy were synthesised, according to artist and critic Luis Camnitzer (2007: 21). This resulted in a transfer to the public sphere, which is particularly relevant in Chile as during the military-civil dictatorship (1973-1990), attempts were made to negate all public life. It is the post-dictatorial generation who is reclaiming public life (Badilla 2019: 738), as the student protests since 2011 (ibid: 740) and the mobilisations since October 2019 demonstrate. The aim is to highlight that artistic forms during contemporary protests allude to the subversive artistic resistance movements against the military dictatorship. Reference is also made to the solidarity practices during this period (Badilla 2019: 730). They share a "commitment to a better life" (Camnitzer 2007: 6), which today is directed primarily against neoliberal economic policies and social inequality. Intergenerational solidarity is a crucial factor in this process as well. The protests show that hope and grief, but also anger, can coexist (Solnit 2016: xiv).
Attention shall be drawn to different modes of social legitimation of memories; thinking questions of memoralisation and democracy together (Wüstenberg 2017: 5). Historical-political relevance depends on the power of the speakers and their outreach in the social field (cf. Molden 2016: 140). In contrast to institutionalised forms of memory, art is to be understood as "memoria crítica" (Richard 2014: 188). Thus, artists take on the task of incorporating the non-integrated and fragmentary into collective memories, as stated by Nelly Richard (2001: 79).
Following Jens Kastner, art historian and sociologist, the characteristics of art and social movements and their overlaps will be examined. To do so, he analyses, among others, the art-sociological perspective of Néstor García Canclini (2017: 257-259). Furthermore, in reference to the literary scholar Ann Rigney, the aim is to investigate how protest events are socially remembered. This refers to the shift within Memory Studies Rigney has addressed: From remembering for a "Never again" of violence and questions of reconciliation towards remembering moments of positivity, solidarity and hope (Rigney 2018: 370)From the diversity of associations, two Chilean collectives shall be analysed as examples. In October 2019, Delight Lab initiated light projections at various locations in Santiago. These actions, which continue to this day, represent a direct response to the protests and are often linked to artistic resistance. Central to these is the Colectivo Acciones de Arte (C.A.D.A.) [1979-1983, Collective of Art Actions]. Forming an "avant-gardist utopia", they were trying to reconcile the internal logics of art and reality (Richard 1994: 42).
