Papier-mâché skulls painted in blue and yellow jut out from a wall of flames. In a glass case nearby, photos and sentimental objects sit together in a shrine to Chilean cultural icons, some who were killed for their political beliefs. These are just some of the pieces on display for “The Other September 11th,” an exhibit in the Adell McMillan Art Gallery.
The exhibit was inspired by the 30th anniversary of the Chilean government’s overthrow and the assassination of the president of Chile, Salvador Allende, on Sept. 11, 1973. The exhibit is a segment of the symposium on Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America and not only honors Allende, but examines the other Latin American human rights issues discussed during the symposium.
The premiere display, “Light Among Shadows,” is a remembrance of former U.S. Ambassador Orlando Letelier and American associate Ronni Karpen Moffitt, who were assassinated in 1976. Los Angeles visual artists Ivo Vergara and Francisco Letelier, who is the son of Letelier, brought a portion of their traveling exhibit to the gallery. Letelier said their paintings, installations, photographs and documents focus on happiness instead of tragedy.
“Our work deals with human beings, human rights and the human spirit,” he said. “It shows the understanding that love and beauty exists among the atrocities.”
Francisco Letelier said they have a strong social activism component to their art. Vergara created a mural in Belfast, Ireland, in 1998 with Protestant and Catholic groups who were being attacked by the Irish Republican Army.
“We are often invited to work with communities that have experienced a loss of rights,” he said.
University student Chelsea Wright’s display consists of photographs, written pieces, dried flowers and crosses. Like Francisco Letelier, she wanted to show the victories of Latin Americans in her work. One photo depicts 20 students who were killed protesting their government, while another shows a boy running with a flower arrangement for the students’ memorial.
“I wanted to strike something in people that would make them realize what happened, but also show the triumph experienced,” Wright said.
Spanish instructors Amanda Filloy and Heather Valle Torres wanted to educate the public on how oppressed Latin Americans come from every background imaginable. Their display honors doctors, lawyers, artists, journalists, pregnant women, couples, teachers and adolescents who disappeared or were tortured and killed under the Argentine military dictatorship from 1976-1983.
“We wanted to show that the crimes were undiscriminating,” Filloy said.
The display includes 300 names of people who suffered in Argentina, photographs and short stories about their disappearances or assassinations. Objects on display include special Argentine tea and cookies and items that correspond to the people being honored, such as a rattle and baby clothing for pregnant women. Filloy said some of the people who disappeared have recently been found, which makes the crimes very present in the minds of Argentines.
“For Argentines it is still very fresh,” Filloy said. “The crimes are over, but the long-term effects aren’t.”
The exhibit will run in the Adell McMillan Art Gallery through Nov. 28.