On September 11, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet staged a coup in Chile, seizing power from the democratically elected President Salvador Allende. This coup led to a seventeen-year dictatorship that transformed the country into a neoliberal economy and subjected tens of thousands of people to imprisonment, torture, and death. Thousands more fled the country.
During this difficult period, women and relatives of missing prisoners united to search for their loved ones and process their trauma. Embroidering colorful arpilleras on used flour sacks became both a way for them to document their daily lives and the events unfolding in the country, and an outlet for their emotions and loss. Using small scraps of fabric, wool, and other materials, the arpilleristas powerful images of the working-class neighborhoods and exposed the violence and human rights violations of the military regime.
The exhibition showcased a selection of arpilleras created between 1975 and 1990. The exhibition was curated by Javier Perugachi and conceived by Irma Prado Pizarro. Irma, who fled Chile for Belgium at the end of 1973, supported the arpilleristas from 1978 onward out of solidarity. The military regime considered the arpilleras a threat; possession of them was considered treason and punished. Therefore, the artworks were often smuggled out of the country. Irma smuggled hundreds of arpilleras out of Chile and exhibited them in various locations, including Amsab-ISG.
