Chilean street artists and instagrammable heritage activism: Movement intellectuals of O-18

Abstract

This paper introduces Chilean artistas callejerxs as powerful movement intellectuals (Eyerman, 1992(Eyerman, , 2004) who curated the O-18 movement through their narration of the protestors' hopes for the future, grievances in the present moment, and a visual representation of their painful dictatorial heritage. Central to this paper is the elucidation of Jones, Mozaffari, and Jasper's (2020) newly postulated concept of Heritage Activism through a critical heritage studies lens. By focusing on the second, under-theorised element of their thesis -activists' utilisation of heritage while in pursuit of social change -this work establishes the pivotal role of heritage in the Chilean uprising. It explores not only the prominent role heritage can play in social movements generally, but also the increasing influence and authority that social media such as Instagram allows street artists to possess in modern protests.

COMbART: Arte ativismo e cidadania. Revoluções. Ativismos estético-politicos: resumos - 2024

“…Messages span from1 "we won't shut up", "Kill your inner PACO2", and "there's no justice without peace", suggesting a political purpose of street art in Chile following the 20th Century Latin America muralist experiences. Indeed, walking around Santiago is an immersive experience into the articulation of trauma, grievance, and aspirations of citizens who cyclically protest the lack of social services and the systemic dictatorship infrastructure (Clark 2022). This use of street art follows the historical nature of the practice linked to representation of unheard voices since its appearance in American 1960s urban contexts.…”

“…As mensagens vão desde1 "não nos calamos", "mata o teu PACO2 interior", e "não há justiça sem paz", sugerindo um objetivo político da arte de rua no Chile, seguindo as experiências muralistas da América Latina do século XX. De facto, passear por Santiago é uma experiência imersiva na articulação de traumas, queixas e aspirações dos cidadãos que protestam ciclicamente contra a falta de serviços sociais e a infraestrutura sistémica da ditadura (Clark 2022). Esta utilização da arte de rua segue a natureza histórica da prática ligada à representação de vozes não ouvidas desde o seu aparecimento nos contextos urbanos americanos dos anos 60.…”