The political catastrophe of 2001 It is present, as an indelible historical moment, in everyone’s memory. The collapse of the economy, the dizzying succession of presidents, the corralito, the state of siege, repression and the abrupt fall into poverty They were part of a process that continues to resonate in the memories of Argentines.
In response to the decisions of a disintegrating political power, People found channels of expression for unusual creativity, and that is also part of collective memory.. From the cacerolazos to the popular assemblies, from factory takeovers to pickets, from barter clubs to the issuance of pseudo currencies; resilience acted more effectively than any state measure and crossed all social classes.
The sample “The future behind. Political imagination after the outbreak of 2001”, inaugurated – with a great sense of opportunity – this week in the Parque de la Memoria, rescues those innumerable forms of resistance that citizens created in a journey full of endearing and familiar images. The work arises from the project “After the outbreak”, an investigation carried out by the group “Art, Culture and Politics in recent Argentina” of the Gino Germani Institute and the National Historical Museum, and was curated by specialists Nicolás Cuello, Marilé Di Filippo , Cecilia Iida, Ana Longoni, Ramiro Manduca, Magdalena Pérez Balbi and Alejandro Thornton, among others.
More than 60 artists and groups participate in this exhibition that highlights the milestones of that social experience, but also recovers smaller and almost unknown actions that demonstrate the social desire to connect in networks of protection and hope. As the curators express, “today a new crisis is once again passing through the country (…) this exhibition seeks to shake the present by appealing to that laboratory of political, economic, cultural, artistic and emotional experimentation that enabled alternative forms of life, in the midst of that dizzying and vibrant situation.”
Seasons
Divided into four zones, the first room of the exhibition is titled “Social creativity” and describes the main channels of protest and communication, which arose spontaneously among the people and became true symbols of the time. For example, the cacerolazos, that form of denunciation that affected all the neighborhoods of the country, from the wealthiest to the most humble.
Here you can find the work of artistic collectives such as Venus Project, which brought together 500 artists and ordinary people, for 8 years, in works and solidarity networks. Or the group Zucoa No Es, whose “Fue” poster welcomes visitors to the exhibition.
“In this area, as in the entire exhibition, you will find documents of collective experiences, movements or even social creativity, such as, for example, the families of savers who went to the bank’s door to spend their vacations,” explains the researcher Ana Longoni.
At this time, barter clubs also emerged, which had their own bonds, in the same way that artistic activism groups circulated seized bills that questioned the economic order. A time in which interventions in public spaces, actions and collaborations proliferated, which questioned the very meaning of the concept of a work. An example of this is that of the PTV group (Voter Transport Party) that took people to vote without proposing any candidate, as a way of reflecting on political practices.
The second room is dedicated to the “Popular assemblies”. Hundreds of them operated in the streets, warehouses and churches throughout the country and represented the most tangible political action in times of crisis. Precisely, large maps of different areas of Argentina made by the Iconoclasistas group, graphically reflect the points where the popular assemblies met and where the recovered factories were located, during the worst years of the crisis.
Also in this space, photos and films made by reporters and neighbors are exhibited, a very valuable record of the forms of resistance of that time.
The third room is titled “Take, recover and imagine”. It records experiences from recovered factories, such as that of the Brukman textile company. It is very interesting, in these cases, the accompaniment of countless artists, in support of the workers’ initiatives.
Also in this space actions that took place in La Plata, Rosario and Córdoba are recorded. In Rosario, for example, Hormigazo began as a performance of artistic activism, in which the symbol of the ant functioned as an image of silent and invisible work. Then, the ants proliferated and appeared in marches and all kinds of mobilizations, carried out with material from recovered factories. Over time, the ant became a symbol of Rosario social militancy.
In La Plata, the group La Grieta, of intellectuals and students, proposed disruptive spaces for the discussion of politics and art, in businesses and common areas in the neighborhood. The SONS groupin the same city, in 2002, organized an escrache against Leopoldo Baume, head of operations of one of the clandestine centers where he was detained. Oesterheldusing all the iconography of El Eternauta.
In the center of this room, it is possible to consult the collection of documents compiled during the research process (flyers, photos, fanzines) that give a more global idea of the popular actions of the time.
The massacre
The final station of the exhibition is titled “Darío and Maxi” and honors the memory of Darío Santillán and Maximiliano Kostekimurdered on June 26, 2002, in what was called the “Avellaneda massacre”. These deaths represented the most dramatic point of the political crisis that began in 2001 and called for citizen participation, both in the production of documents to achieve justice, and in the creation of art that expressed the shock of these deaths.
A large map, in the center of the room, represents in its entirety the events that occurred during the repression of June 26, with photos provided by the family, who are in the court case. Nearby are Maxi Kosteki’s drawings, which belong to his sister’s archive. Opposite, the work of the picket worker Florencia Vespignani shows scenes of the protests and reproduces the image in which Kosteki tries to help the wounded Santillán. Also here you can see a selection of documentaries about repression, which offer an excellent framework for exploring the rest of the exhibition.
Opening “future gaps” is the objective of this research on 2001. A way to activate the “political imagination” to face similar circumstances today, in new times of crisis and uncertainty.
Memory Park. Monument to the Victims of State Terrorism. Av. Rafael Obligado 6745. Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. / Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Until March 31, 2024 with free entry.
Image gallery
