Expression of Resistance. From Video Art to Media Art in Latin America

Abstract

In this work, the evolution of visual artistic expressions in the region is examined, starting from Marta Traba’s work on the Cultura de la Resistencia (1974), with a focus on the transition from video art to medial art. The intrinsic connection between political and social resistance in Latin America and the transformation of video art into a more complex and technologically advanced form known as medial art are emphasized. The research addresses cultural resistance to military dictatorships and explores how artists use first world technological tools, recontextualizing them to express the realities and conflicts of Latin America. The importance of dissociating the artist's work and concentrating on the expressive process and result is underscored. Through examples such as the ethnographic and aesthetic analysis in Juan Downey's Video Trans Américas, the elitist nature of art and its relationship with decolonization are questioned. The work invites reflection Latin America's unique identity and resistance, indicating that the freedom of format in the medial realm opens up possibilities for broader creative thinking.