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Nunca Más

“Writing is nothing more than a guided dream." — Jorge Luis Borges”

July 27, 2011 ¿Y después?

The military government ended in 1983.  Democratic elections were held and Raul Alfonsin was elected president of Argentina. Early into his presidency, Alfonsin established a national commission to investigate war crimes (CONADEP); the atrocities that were uncovered by this commission sent shock waves around the world. As a result of this investigation, many leaders in the military junta were charged and convicted of human rights crimes, including the military leader Jorge Rafael Videla. However, in reaction to these human rights trials, a series of uprisings were instigated by the Argentine army. These rebellions ultimately led to presidential pardons in1989 for those convicted of war crimes as well as the military personnel involved in the uprisings. It was not until 2005 that the pardons were declared void by Argentina’s Supreme Court, and then in 2006 the first trials since the repeal of the pardon laws began. The first trial involved Miguel Etchecolatz who was the police commissioner of Buenos Aires during the 1970s. He was charged and convicted on multiple counts of murder and torture despite the disappearance of an important witness who went missing just hours before his testimony. Amnesty issues as well as general government secrecy over the details of the Dirty War continue to plague Argentine society. The 2006 disappearance of a war crimes witness suggests that it is still not safe for victims to come forward. The Madres of the Plaza de Mayo also continue their weekly vigils in downtown Buenos Aires which they began in the 1980s to remind the public that their children and grandchildren are still missing, and that the government has failed to provide information about what happened to them. The Madres sometimes attach photographs or silhouettes of the missing to their own maternal bodies as a reminder that the abducted are human beings.

Following the demise of the military dictatorship, Argentina’s artists were able to express themselves more freely without fear of extreme government retaliation. Their work became more explicit statements of their anguish and anger over the events of the War and the widespread abductions and killings. For instance, the work of Juan Pablo Renzi both during and after the dictatorship, shows very different light bulbs (Images below). Although artwork is always subject to interpretation by the observer, this light bulb appears to be an open expression of anger and desperation. It is literally exploding with color and heavy, jagged lines, and stands in contrast to the subdued and realistic light bulb from before. During this transition period, artwork appears to have re-emerged as a means of emotional expression and also a vehicle for protest against the authoritarianism and secrecy of the new government.

"Mirando el cielorraso" Juan Pablo Renzi, 1978

"Mirando el cielorraso" Juan Pablo Renzi, 1985

 

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