[spectre] Women: Memory of Repression in Argentina

[{e-art}]

"Woman: Memory of Repression in Argentina" 
New Media project 
curated by Raquel Partnoy and Agricola de Cologne 
for 
[R][R][F]2004--->XP 
[Remembering-Repressing-Forgetting]
global networking project
www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004 <http://www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004> 
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"Woman: Memory of Repression in Argentina" 
is an Internet based multi-media project environment 
realized in the framework of RRF Channel of 
[R][R][F]2004--->XP 
--->direct acces also via 
www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004/argentina1.htm <http://www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004/argentina1.htm>.
The project is referring to the darkest period of Argentine history
when during the dictatorships countless husbands and sons disappeared, 
and these women, better known as "Mothers of Plaza de Mayo"
took initiative and started their demonstrations against the military regime. 
The project spotlights Past, Present and Future of these traumatic experiences, but 
also the courage and power of the Argentine mothers 
as an appeal that such inhuman circumstances must not happen again, 
not in Argentina and not elsewhere in the world. 
 
"Woman: Memory of Repression in Argentina" 
consists of a curatorial statement by Raquel Partnoy, 
her collection of testimonies of other mothers, 
an extensive documentary "Portrait" of the Partnoy family, 
and several Internet based works by young Argentine artists - 
Andamio Contiguo, Irene Coremberg, Marina Zerbarini and Anahi Caceres - 
curated by Agricola de Cologne.
.
Raquel Partnoy, herself mother of a disappeared child and visual artist,
is an authetic witness of those traumatic experiences.
By collecting testimonies of many affected mothers who transformed all their grief
into works of art, like poetry, for instance, she is pointing also to a most essential meaning art may have -
by doing and experiencing - an healing effect on the violeted soul. 
 
A excerpt of her curatorial statement: 
>>As a mother of a "disappeared" child I experienced the horror of seeing how my family was gradually destroyed. From the day my daughter and her husband were kidnaped by the military forces during the military dictatorship in Argentina - 1976/1983, life was not the same for my husband, my son, or myself . Anguish, hatred, and depression overwhelmed us while we wondered if they were still alive, felt impotence because the military wouldn't give us any kind of information, spent endless nights without sleeping for fear that the evil ones would come to our house to take another family member.
At the beginning of our odyssey we did not know that we were not alone. Many parents,like us, were going through the nightmare of trying to find out where our children had been taken. We had gone to police stations and army posts; we had talked to priests and military chaplains; we had asked friends if they knew of contacts at the clandestine centers who would be able to say if our children were alive. But the army knew very well how to create a climate of terror in the family of the abducted victim. When we went to our city army headquarters to ask about our daughter, they denied she was there and showed him a paper, allegedly signed by her, stating that she was released. Where was she then? The scenario of the disappeared was in place, and the creator of this horrible concept, the manager of such horrendous drama was a terrorist state. At that time, many families felt miserable, with thousands of young couples disappeared along with their babies or little children. Most of them were murdered by the military forces.
The women whose works I have chosen for "Women: Memories of the Repression in Argentina" have endured the horror of that time. These mothers, daughters, sisters of disappeared people, or survivors of the dictatorship, express their feelings through poems, tales, letters, or testimonies. They express the pain of thousands of women from our country.
As individuals who survived genocide, writers, artists, sensitive human beings, we shall never forgive, we shall never forget. We have to raise our voices in order to alert humanity about what happened not only in Argentina and other Latin America's countries but also in the rest of the world, for such atrocities never to happen again. << (copyright © 2004 by Raquel Partnoy)
--> 
The "Portrait" of the Partnoy family 
is a documentary created by Agricola de Cologne. 
Recently, an extended 2nd project version has been added which contains now five parts: 
Starting with a prologue containing excerpts of Raquel Partnoys book "Surviving Genocide", (Antisemitism, Argentina and the Nazis and Repression in Argentina). 
Followed by "Argentina in Flames", based on an article by Salomon Partnoy, Raquels husband, and another one by Jose Partnoy, Salomon's brother, dealing with the current situation in Argentina. 
The "Family Portrait" gives a deep insight and also a representative view on how family structures have been systematically destroyed in these dark times of human existance in Argentina. 
In the center of this documentary ("Main Part" and "Between Two Skies") stand the female members Raquel as mother and grand mother, her daughter Alicia and her daughters Ruth, Anahi and Eva.
It describes the situation of Jews in Argentina, who escaped from persecution in Europe once,
but found themselves again persecuted in Argentina in the so-called "Argentine Holocaust"during the dictatorships,
and the situation of an artistically creative family, whose female members are active in different artistic disciplines: Raquel as a visual artist and poet, Alicia as a poet and writer, and her dauther Ruth as a poet. Authentic documents like the voice recitations of poetry works by Alicia and a video lecture by Raquel
complete this extraordinary informative documentary.
Raquel Partnoy and her family escaped and survived from further persecution in Argentina and live 
nowadays in USA. 
.
Was this first part of "Woman: Memory of Repression in Argentina" 
mainly dealing with people who were directly involved and suffering from this period of Argentine totlitarism, 
the second part spotlights Argentine female artists from the young generation reflecting this Argentina's Past. 
As really many families were affected the trauma is still present also because in many cases the situation of the disappaered could not completely cleared up, and in this way the memory of this period of Argentine history starts to become vivid again. The ongoing actions of "Mothers of Plaza de Mayo" these days show that impressively. 
By using the technologies of New Media, the artists collective "Andamio contiguo", Irere Coremberg, Marina Zerbarini and Anahi Caceres, find an appropriate contemporary way of dealing with their own national identity 
-->
"Never again" by Andamio Contiguo
The death machine that took to thousands of Argentineans during the dictatorship is a deep black hole in the conscience and the destiny of our country, one night that continues surrounding the fatality of its missing bodies. We want to generate a memory tool, to install a simulacre where the spectator can take active part and, for a moment, to stop the time and to recover the image of some of the women who the world lost by decision of an ill and intolerante society. Nevertheless we know that it is late for returning back. 
About the artists
Andamio Contiguo is an interdisciplinary artistic team of the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, founded on 1992 and of long theater trajectory. It initiates in the year 2002 a project of interrelation between theater and digital art, using itself for it own production in both areas. 
-->
"Way of Memory Recover" by Irene Coremberg 
This is the long and painful way to recover our memory,
history and identity. Over 30.000 women and men "disappear" under a
criminal state, 20-28 years ago, because of their thoughts and their dreams
for a better world.
After that, successive the governments pretended to "disappear" our memory
too, under absolution laws, and to extend a large "mantle of forgetting" over all. 
.
About the artist
Irene Coremberg is living and working as a media artist in Buenos Aires/Argentina
and participated in numerous media exhibitions and festivals in Argentina and abroad.
-->
"Tejido de Memoria" by Marina Zerbarini
It is a "work in progress", that incorporates writings supplied by users, making the contents constantly dinamic. It is developed the concept of time in subjects like Human rights, Poverty and Social Inequality, War and Memory.
The user interacts choosing between graphs, statistics, images and videos his reading time and the relation between them. 
A memory that can be read " by heart" or like a "weave" that constructs and reconstructs our present. 
.
About the artist
Marina Zerbarini studied photography, in the Bs.As Photo Club in 1974. In 1991 she obtained
a degree in painting. In the first years of her profession she was 
dedicated to the painting, within an abstract tradition with an own conceptual incorporations. 
She is currently focussing her work on net based art.
She had numerous group and solo exhibitions in Argentina and abroad and received several awards and prizes.
-->
"ArteUna-RRF" by Anahi Caceres
ArteUna-RRF is Anahis contribution to "Women: Memory of Repression in Argentina" 
and simultaneously an extension of this project through new networking features connected 
to the "Mothers of Plaza de Mayo" and related actions. 
In this way, it represents a most contemporary component.
Another aspect is how people deal, in general, but young people in particular with this 
still frightning Past of Argentina. 
ArteUna is an Internet portal dealing with art and culture created by Anahi Caceres. 
A small video lecture by Anahi Caceres completes this impressive ongoing project.
.
These Argentine participants form currently this networking extension-->
directed by Anahi Caceres
assisted by Javier Beccaria, Vicky Illas, Federico Signorelli, Sergio Varela
.
Artist in arteUna/ R R F 
Fernanda Bragone, Miguel Angel Bustos, Eduardo Blaustein
Gabriela Borgna, Patricia Carini, Walter Costas
Anahí Cáceres, Emma Coll, Zulma Ducca, Alejandro Delgado
Claudio Escobar, León Ferrari, Marisa Gallo, María Galluccio
Marta Gonzáles, Paula Jimenez, Roberto Joarróz, Liliana Luckin
Marcos Luczkow, Carmen Lapacó, Iris Mafía, Claudia Masin
Nicolás Ojeda, Jorge Pinedo, Alicia Porcel de Peralta, Claudina Pugliese
Carmen Pezido, José Quiero, Gustavo Rapoport, Rosa Revsyn
Raquel Roberti, Marta Sacco, Fernando Traverso, Lionel Wainsztok
.
participation interviews
Pedro Zañudo, Mónica Mazone, Mercedes Fagionatto
Abuelas Plaza de Mayo: Aurora Zuco de Beloccio - Carmen Lapacó - Cecilia Devincenti ( hija de Azucena Villflor) - Hijos: Gastón Gonçalves - Artistas del Borda
.
About the artist 
Anahi Caces is a multidisciplinary artist living and working at Buenos Aires/Argenita
Between 1974/ and 1994, she was mainly working in Painting, Drawing, Print, Sculpture, 
Object, Installations, Vídeo and Performances,
and since 1994 focussing mainly on 1994/2004 :Electronic Arts,.Installations and 
Performances. 
The received numerous awards and participates in more than 400 solo and collective exhibitions in Argentina and abroad, 
 
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Woman: Memory of Repression in Argentina
is an online project environment
in the framework of RRF Channel of 
[R][R][F]2004--->XP
global networking project
www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004 <http://www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004> 
direct acces also via 
www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004/argentina1.htm <http://www.newmediafest.org/rrf2004/argentina1.htm> 
--->
contact: 
rrf2004 at newmediafest.org <mailto:rrf2004 at newmediafest.org> 
subject: argentina 
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