Politics in Latin American Art from the 1960s to the 1980s

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, political and social changes in Latin America led to transformations in all aspects of life, including art. In the field of visual arts, Conceptualism became the dominant trend. This chapter introduces works by Conceptual artists from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, who took it upon themselves to denounce social injustice, governments’ abuse of power, and the manipulation of information by the media, among other issues. It focuses on the artists’ use of the written word to make art, their interest in mass media and products of mass consumption, and their role in making the public an active participant in the aesthetic process.