Democracy Doesn’t Work for Us was exhibited at Sur Gallery in Toronto as part of Declassified History: Archiving Latin America, a show curated by Tamara Toledo featuring Omar Estrada, Voluspa Jarpa and Iván Navarro.
The exhibition tackles the dark period in history marked by United States interventions in Latin America. Oppressive regimes from the south are explicitly linked to corrupt governments of the north through installations by artists Omar Estrada, Voluspa Jarpa and Iván Navarro as they capture events that may well be repeated in the future. Jarpa’s installations reflect on the nature of the archive, on memory and the cultural notion of trauma. Navarro presents a video performance that comments on the collective psychological trauma of his native country, Chile, combining the visual representation of power with aspects of resistance and memory. Finally, Estrada exposes information about Operation Condor —a non-declared war of political repression and state terror across Latin America supported by the CIA in the context of the Cold War. The artists in the exhibition work with testimonials and declassified archives with which we not only witness but become complicit of a hidden history. By referencing the dynamics of the Cold War, the artists’ works will allow for a continuous and ongoing discussion around responsibility and accountability.
This artwork was generously supported by an Ontario Art Council Exhibition Assistance grant.
