Visual Art and Justice in Transitional Argentina (post 1983)

Drawing on 5-6 years of extensive fieldwork and research, the fellowship will be used to write up a book length study of the role of visual art and interventions in the contested transition to democracy in Argentina after the last dictatorship (1976-83). Artists and art-activists have been key civic actors in Argentina, and it is now acknowledged that the study of transitional justice cannot be understood solely through a focus on elite actors. Civic actors and groups must also be understood to shape the course of transition and the 'texture of memory' in transitional societies (Collins, 2010; McEvoy, 2007; Young, 1994, 2000). Although Argentina is understood to be part of the second era of transitional justice (Teitel, 2003), formal legal processes continue with prosecutions ongoing and the cry 'aparicion con vida' still resounds (eg after disappearance of key witness Lopez in 2006). Its example is highly pertinent, as its processes of 'transition' offers us the chance to consider the course of transition in an era when transitional justice is the expected response to the on-going problem of violence. This interdisciplinary book will appeal to scholars and non-academic audiences in visual culture, socio-legal studies and contemporary cultural theories; its impact is assured through the networks that have been built up in academia, in the artworld and with actors in the third sector.

This interdisciplinary work focuses upon various visual aspects of transitional Argentina. There is a long history of challenging state decisions and actions through art collectives and the use of artworks in Argentina, including as street interventions. During the 1960s an important art group based in Rosario instigated amongst other things the 'Tucuman Arde' (Tucuman Burns) exhibition, that explicitly sought to use art - through street interventions, orchestrated use of the mass media and through organised exhibitions (in Rosario and Buenos Aires, 1968) - to draw attention to the social costs of economic decisions (see Farina et al, 2004; Longoni and Mestman, 2008). That decade also saw the politics of art institutions much debated, and direct confrontations (Guinta, 2007; Katzenstein, 2004). Many of the issues that were important in relation to Tucuman Arde were later tested severely during the dictatorship of 1976-83, and remain issues in how artists orientate themselves to their artwork today.

Both during the dictatorship and post-dictatorship, art collectives, relatives of the disappeared's groups, human rights groups and others have been active in their challenges to the various administrations' decisions regarding justice and public memory. Thus the debates about what should happen at the former detention centres, most notably ESMA in Buenos Aires, and about the planning and progress of El Parque de la Memoria, have involved practicing artists at all levels. This research builds on the established academic interest in the cultural politics of public memory in Argentina (Huyssen, 2003), in key public protests (such as the Madres de Plaza de Mayo; Taylor, 1997), and the street interventions of silhouettes and groups such as the Grupo de Arte Callejero employing the escraches (Kaiser, 2002). It adds to this literature not only through recent fieldwork but by broadening its conversations into new areas of cultural theory, setting these studies of resistance into conversation with debates on the meaning of transition and cultural theoretical discussions of political subjectivity.

Visual interventions and sites of community-based activities should also be understood together with projects such as Memoria Abierta, whose archival works makes oral histories and images of the dictatorship available to the public and visitors, and the work and archives of CELS, the key lawyers' group working and campaigning around prosecutions. Individual artists and artworks will also receive extended treatment, drawing upon interview data.

I. Impact Aims (Non-Academic)
The research aims to:

i) Inform public debates on questions of public memory and the role of visual art in relation to societies in transition through detailed analysis of the Argentine case.

ii) Enhance debates about the meaning of transitional justice including for those who advise policy-makers by providing analyses of cultural processes that accompany formal legal mechanisms of transition.

iii) Contribute to the knowledge economy through the provision of innovative analyses of the complex cultural and political impact of visual artworks.

iv) Create better public understanding within Argentina and internationally of its fascinating historical and contemporary example.

v) Support third sector workers (artists, archive workers, human rights groups) in Argentina by increasing exposure of their work to international audiences and facilitating networks, especially with the UK.

II. Who will benefit?
Benefits will accrue to the following persons, groups and organisations:

i) Policy-makers and advisors on matters concerning transition in societies emerging from violent pasts.
ii) The public who attend talks or read the publications.
iii) The non-government organisations, human rights groups and individual artists themselves.
iv) The memorial sites and centres, archival projects.
v) Visitors to Argentina.

III. How will they benefit?

i) Policy makers and advisors will benefit from up-to-date and innovative analysis of the Argentine case.
ii) Organisations, groups and individual artists will benefit from increased publicity afforded their work.
iii) The publications will publicise and inform visitors about key sites and centres in Argentina
iv) The work will enrich the understanding of visitors and others who are in Argentina for business or pleasure.

IV. What will be done to ensure impact?
There are many different potential routes for achieving these impacts, not all of the details of which are apparent at this point. I will endeavour to ensure impact by:

i) Pursuing opportunities to talk to the relevant groups in Argentina
ii) Applying and responding to requests to speak to events and at conferences attracting non-academics and policy consultants
iii) Publishing my research conclusions through contacts in Argentina, on relevant websites there and in the UK.
iv) Continuing to publicise my work after the completion of the fellowship.
v) Offering to write for individual artists and groups as and when appropriate.