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Marcela Römer



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Between 1976 and 1983 Argentina passed through a period called "Process of National Reorganization" or "Military Process": This cultural, creative and stand by period was described as a strong demand by those who established the rules. Argentina had already suffered military periods, but this one was the hardest in history.
Between 1976 and 1977 the "Madres de Plaza de Mayo" [Mothers of Plaza of Mayo] group was created, that was what people called them because they claimed, and still do it, the appearance of their children alive among those who have gone missing as N.N. Every Thursday they walk peacefully around Mayo Square opposite the National Goverment House. Some years later the "Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo" [Grandmothers of Plaza of Mayo] group was founded in order to claim, above all, the appearance of those children born in captivity.
In 1983, with the begining of Democracy, people involved in the so-called "dirty war" are judged. CONADEP (Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas) [National Comission of Missing People] was founded; a group of people headed by Ernesto Sábato produce a manuscript: "Never again", with investigations into the excesses of the military process. It was a politic time led by Dr .Raúl Alfonsín from the Radical Party. In 1989 started the second democratic period but this time it was led by Dr. Saúl Menem from the Peronist Party. A politic decision will go on in history: reprieve the military who ordered the disappearance of these people and those who took part in the aforementioned dirty war. Thus, those people who had been judged at the beginning of the first democratic period were set free. It was done with the purpose of "national pacification", but it did not produce any result.
Some time later, the "Hijos" [Children] group was established, a group that gathers the 30.000 missing people's children. All these associations claim "No obscurity, no forgiveness". The "Children" group decide to implement a new mechanism: it consists on different demonstrations in front of torture responsible people's houses and those involved in the disappearance of people. Thus, the whole community knows who their neighbors are.
In 1998 a legal path is discovered which allow to begin the judgement on all the responsible people again. But this time it is about the disappearance of the children born in prison. These acts are carried out until the present day. From the democratic restoration until now, and spite of the politic, social and economic inflexibility, the world of art was varied and very productive.
In this case, the works we can appreciate refer exclusively to remember precisely in order no to forget what happened. Both production and artists are diverse; some ot them are politic and ideologically involved in this historic event. Others, with different positions in life, not directly engaged look away over some history in which they suddenly found themselves immersed.
In general, works are like memories. Some are conceptual, others are a kind of production that reminds those moments of politic/demagogic art. Some others are like subtle signs of a wound that still hasn't healed.
Twenty three years have passed since the beginning of this period of horror, and the artist suggests we look eagerly without forgiveness; a trail that marks a memory.
By means of their best ability: art; they do and break up pieces of a period that, although recent, sometimes seems to remain in the past.
Here, time is a mirror that helps to find out the truth which many times is faded by history.
But actually the images reflect unconsciously everything each individual from Argentina clearly knows.
History follows its path without signals, and on occasions like this, art has to establish the rules ot the memory game.