Aparecidos (The Appeared) a memorial to the victims of Argentine state terrorismBetween the years 1976 and 1983 approximately 30,000 Argentinian citizens were abducted, taken to secret detention centers, tortured and murdered in a systematic campaign of genocide. The military junta then in power, performed this action with impunity, brazenly arresting whomever they chose and imprisoning them without trial or Habeus Corpus. Prisoners were sadistically tortured as a form of terror, and finally the attempt was made to disappear them, either by burial after execution in mass graves or by dropping them, drugged but alive, from planes into the sea. No one was safe. Tortured victims often named anyone they could think of to stop the pain. Arrests became almost arbitrary, thereby enhancing the terror. Ironically, cynically, the action was billed as a "War Against Terror."
My memorial is a commitment to paint portraits of any of the victims of whom I can obtain a photograph. Online, about 1200 photos are accessible on the Wall of Memory site in Argentina. As awareness grows of this project, survivors are contacting me with photos asking me to include their brother, their lover, their friend who was disappeared in the installation. I am honored to do so. My intention in creating Aparecidos, is first to honor the beautiful people who's human rights were trampled with complete disdain, who's final months or days in life were spent in unimaginable levels of suffering and terror, and who were subjected to a state wide campaign to "disappear" them entirely. Referred to in Argentina as the "Desparecidos," the Disappeared, in titling my work "Aparecidos," I hope to symbolically reappear them, and to help with the effort to re-member them. Secondly, as a long time educator in the arts, I intend the work to be educational...to disseminate information about Argentina's specific genocide but to call attention to current genocidal campaigns as well. Finally I hope that "Aparecidos" is a warning. The dynamic that occurred in Argentina was not isolated. It has happened before and has happened since. Understanding the dynamic, in all the guises it may appear, is vital toward the goal of "Nunca Mas," (never more), heralded by contemporary Argentines. Thirty years after the fact, the perpetrators are being brought to justice, are being tried and sentenced. Nothing will repay their crimes but they will not finish their lives as free men, nor will their names be honored. My goal is to help ensure that the disappeared will not be forgotten, that their lives, cut off in such horrific fashion, may serve to warn humans everywhere against allowing governments to progress to such abominations. I would greatly appreciate your help and support. Brian Carlson Wisconsin, USA briancarlsonartist@gmail.com |
Los Aparecidos
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Aparecidos by Brian L. Carlson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Archived list of finished images (Currently I have 300 finished portraits. The list here is being updated and is not complete.)
Aparecidos (En la actualidad tengo 300 retratos terminados. Aquí la lista se actualiza y no se ha completado.)
2012-13
(Please scroll down to see individual portraits.)
(Por favor, desplácese hacia abajo para ver los retratos
individuales.)
Aparecidos (En la actualidad tengo 300 retratos terminados. Aquí la lista se actualiza y no se ha completado.)
2012-13
(Please scroll down to see individual portraits.)
(Por favor, desplácese hacia abajo para ver los retratos
individuales.)