Transatlantic Constellations: Visual Arts and Solidarity Networks between Chile and Italy

Roberta Garieri

This research explores the networks of artistic solidarity that emerged between Chile and Italy during the 1970s. Considering intellectual, political and cultural issues in the broad international context of the Cold War and adopting a transnational approach, these relationships reveal key aspects that enrich current narratives on art historical practices in their respective countries. The coup d’état of September 11, 1973, led by Augusto Pinochet, marked the tragic end of Salvador Allende’s government (1970–1973), thereby dismantling hopes of justice and democracy in this part of the world. The national reconstruction promoted by the dictatorial regime thus erased all traces of the socialist revolution and favored the transformation of Chile into the first neo-liberal country. Contrary to the claim that this period was characterized by a cultural blackout, many artistic practices flourished both inside and outside of Chile. Artists forced into exile prompted and promoted the emergence of solidarity networks to support the Chilean people. Rooted in histories of dispossession and diaspora, Chilean artistic production during the dictatorial period reveals the presence of a transnational community. The study of this phenomenon deconstructs hierarchies by considering cultural relations between countries based on principles of solidarity and resistance. This study intends, on the one hand, to situate the context in which Italy, like other Western European countries, played a central role in supporting the solidarity project promoted by Salvador Allende and later in denouncing the coup d’état, thereby analyzing the similarities of their respective historico-political contexts. On the other hand, the aim is to reconstruct a new cartography of their cultural manifestations – whether institutional or independent – that originated in Italy and promoted democracy and an anti-fascist consciousness.