The (im)possible representation of national history : national identity, memory and trauma in Memoria visual de una nación by Mario Toral

english

2015

volume 31, issue 79

Social memory    National identity    Politics    art    Arts    Chile    society    history 

Slovensko sociološko društvo
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This article presents an analysis of the mural titled Memoria Visual de una Nación (Visual Memory of a Nation) with a focus on its panel Los Conflictos (The Conflicts) , by renowned Chilean artist Mario Toral. The representation of divisive events in MVN raises the following questions: Why did Toral include conflictive issues in a mural representing national identity and memory? And, how did Toral deal with national identity and its demand for unity when faced with a divisive and traumatic history? The article deals first with the interconnectedness of meaning-making and social and political context and then addresses the tension between the realm of the political -or antagonism- and the realm of hegemonic politics -or order- in search of a deeper understanding of this work of art and its representation of Chilean history and identity.

30.03.2016