“THE TRANSITION FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY CORRESPONDS TO THE IMAGE THAT DISAPPEARS IN THE PRINTMAKING PROCESSES (ETCHING) AND THEN REAPPEARS (PRINTED ON THE PAPER). MY WORK CALLS TO THE NEED FOR A SEARCH FOR JUSTICE AND TRUTH, WHICH BY NO MEANS IS FINITE OR TERMINAL, BUT RATHER AN INITIATIVE THAT EXISTS IN AND WITH TIME."
DIGNIDAD, 2018, PERFORMANCE STILL, THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE OF CHILE, 2018. Photo Catalina Riutort
Dignidad, 2018 - ongoing, is a multimedia project including audio and text archives, kinetic sculptures, sonic installations and performances that explores the history of Colonia Dignidad, the infamous enclave in Southern Chile founded in 1961 by former Nazi officers who escaped Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Known for its long history of child abuse, during the C.I.A.-backed military dictatorship in Chile (1973-1990), Colonia Dignidad was turned into a detention camp, where hundreds of dissidents were tortured and murdered, including Soviet-born, Jewish-American math professor Boris Weisfeiler. Many other victims were buried in mass graves or incinerated to eliminate evidence, and the bodies of many are still missing. The legacies of this massacre alongside traumas of children born and raised in the enclave are still felt today, revealing the damages of fascism in the present.
Dignidad makes visible the site’s institutionalized and multilayered history of violence past and present. Built upon extensive archival research and interviews, the work reveals a complex system of codes and transcontinental actions that culminated in crimes against minors and opponents of the Chilean civic-military dictatorship (1973-1990). Restaging spaces of segregation and repression by different means, the work includes for the first time reproductions of documents such as minutes and official reports of the enclave facilitated to the artist by the National Archives of Chile, where the archive is located. It also includes process-like drawings and the exhibition of an actual, previously unreleased audio-tape found by survivor and human rights lawyer Winfried Hempel. In addition, the work comprises a sculpture that evokes the architecture of bunkers and cells and thus the political machinery uncovered within the archive. This sculpture is composed of four large-scale kinetic metal pieces, which are activated by the artist and collaborators. Described by the artist as “a political abstraction that refers to Colonia Dignidad’s history through a performance that physically deconstructs and reconstructs symbols of power,” the activation of this sculpture is accompanied by an immersive audio recording that reveals secret operations between Nazi agents in Peru, Germany, and Chile’s Colonia Dignidad.
Together, pieces in this project stand against a culture of oblivion, proposing a path towards declassification that blends art and reparation. As such, Dignidad contributes with historical and cultural materials to different instances seeking justice, including the recently formed joint commission between Chile and Germany to transform Colonia Dignidad into a memory site. “When artists use historical archives as a resource to create, they can transform the archive’s nature and help to overcome the amnesia we live in, while subverting the text, the image, and the object” stated Emma de Ramón, Director of the National Archives of Chile. As she continues: “We can certainly observe and experience this transformation in San Martin’s project.”
DIGNIDAD, SOLO EXHIBITION, NATIONAL ARCHIVE OF CHILE, 2018
DIGNIDAD, ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS, THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS, 2019
Exhibition History
The project was developed between 2017 and 2018 during the artist’s fellowship at The Whitney Museum Independent Study Program and shown for the first time at Artists Space in New York in May 2018. Since then on, Dignidad has been exhibited in the Americas and Europe in multiple venues, including among others Bard College, NADA, and The Center for Book Arts in New York, the Goethe Institut in Montreal, Canada; the Print Center, Philadelphia; and the Meermanno Museum in The Hague, Netherlands. This project has also been shown in Chile in places such as the National Archive in 2018 and tMatucana 100 in 2023 on occasion of the Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état. Dignidad is currently in the collection of several institutions including among others Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Iberoamerikanische Bibliothek, Princeton University, University of California and Harvard University. Furthermore, this project has been the subject of different articles and novels, including the essay Feminist Re-Mappings of Colonia Dignidad as Antifascist Praxis by Carl Fisher, the novels Sprinters, los niños de Colonia Dignidad by Lola Larra and Boris, 1985 by Dona Loupe, and a conversation at Anales Magazine.
Exhibition Venues
Dignidad, Un Lugar, Madrid, España, (2025), solo exhibition and performances
Dignidad, CUE Gallery, New York City, performance (2024)
Dignidad, Governor Island, New York, (2024), group exhibition and performance
Dignidad, Bard College, Hudson, New York, (2024), performance
Dignidad, Casa del Libro, San Juan, Puerto Rico, (2024), performance
Dignidad, Goethe Institut, Montreal, Canada, (2023), solo exhibition and performance
Dignidad, Southern Methodologist University, Austin, TX, (2023), performance
Dignidad, Lipani Gallery, Fordham University, New York, (2023), solo exhibition
Dignidad, Matucana100, Santiago, Chile (2023), group exhibition and performance
Dignidad, NADA, The New Latin Wave, New York City (2023), group exh. and performance
Dignidad, Widener Gallery, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, (2023), solo exh. and performance
Dignidad, Print Center, Philadelphia, PA, (2023), solo exhibition and performance
Dignidad, LAartFair, Museum of the Americas (AMA), Los Angeles, CA (2021), performance
Dignidad, Meermanno Museum, The Hague, Netherlands (2019-20), solo exh. & performance
Dignidad, The Immigrant Artist Biennial (TIAB), NYC (2020), performance
Dignidad, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA (2019), group exhibition and performance
Dignidad, Animal Gallery, Santiago, Chile (2019), solo exhibition and performance
Dignidad, The Center for Book Arts, NYC (2019), solo exhibition and performance
Dignidad, The National Archives of Chile, Santiago (2018), solo exhibition and performances
Dignidad, Artists Space, Whitney Museum ISP, NYC (2018), group exhibition & performance
DIGNIDAD, 2018, SOLO EXHIBITION AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE OF CHILE, OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2018.
DIGNIDAD, TV NEWS CHANNEL, CANAL 13, SANTIAGO, CHILE, OCTOBER 2018
DIGNIDAD, UN LUGAR, MADRID, ESPAÑA, MARZO, 2025
DIGNIDAD, 2LP OF TAPE N19 OF HISTORICAL AUDIO ARCHIVE, PRODUCED BY NEW LATIN WAVE, 2023
DIGNIDAD, PERFORMANCE, UN LUGAR, MADRID, ESPAÑA, MARZO, 2025
AUDIO RESEARCH. TRANSCRIPTION FORM TAPE N19 IN COLLABORATION WITH WINFRIED HEMPEL
DIGNIDAD, STAGE READING PERFORMANCE, THE ENDLESS COUP, THE NEW LATIN WAVE, NADA, NEW YORK CITY, 2023
SOLO EXHIBITION DIGNIDAD, INSTALLATION VIEW, MUSUEM MEERMANNO, THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS, 2019
DIGNIDAD, INSTALLATION VIEW, THE CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS, NEW YORK CITY, 2019
DIGNIDAD, PERFORMANCE, THE CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS, NEW YORK CITY, 2019
DIGNIDAD, INSTALLATION VIEW, THE PRINT CENTER, PHILADELPHIA, 2019
DIGNIDAD, PERFORMANCE, THE PRINT CENTER, PHILADELPHIA, 2019
DIGNIDAD, PERFORMANCE, ARTISTS SPACE, WHITNEY MUSUEM ISP, NEW YORK CITY, 2018
DIGNIDAD, INSTALLATION VIEW, ARTISTS SPACE, WHITNEY MUSUEM ISP, NEW YORK CITY, 2018
DIGNIDAD, INSTALLATION VIEW, GALERIA ANIMAL, SANTIAGO, CHILE, 2019
COLONIA DIGNIDAD ARCHIVE, SELECTING FILES FOR THE EXHIBITION PURPOSE
I. DIGNIDAD PROGRAMS
2025
Un Lugar, Madrid, Spain
Solo Exhibition + two Performances + talk
march 2025
Performances 1: March 7, 12PM
Talk: Art, Memory and Aesthetics. Emma Sepúlveda, Julia Herzberg, German Berger, Margarita Romero and the artist
Performances 2: March 14, 7PM
2025
Jersey Art Fair, New Jersey, NY
Performance: February 23, 5PM
2024
The Slip, New York, NY
Performance: September 28, 6PM
2024
CUE, New York, NY
Performances within the solo show of Catalina Tuca
Performances: July 7, 12PM
2024
Taiwan Center, Governor Island, NY
Performance: August 20, 2 PM
2024
La Casa del Libro, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Performances: April 20, 5:30 PM
2024
Bard College, Hudson, NY
Center for Experimental Humanities
Pop up installation and Performances: April 11, 12PM
2023
Goethe Institut, Montreal, CA
opening reception and performance: October 10
Artist Talk
Workshop: October 11
2023
Matucana100, Santiago, Chile
performance: Nov 17
2023
NADA, The New Latin Wave, New York, NY
The Endless Coup, Group show: Sep 1 - Sep 30
Performance Dignidad: September 11, 7PM
Stage Reading Tape N19: September 30, 7PM
2023
Widener Gallery, Trinitty College, Hartford, CT
Solo show: Feb 14 - apr 30
Performance Dignidad: April 4, 4PM
2021
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
The Art Musuem of the Americas, AMA, Washington, DC
Curated by Fabian Concalves
LA Art show: July 29 - Aug 1st
2020
The Immigrant Artist Biennial, New York, NY
TIAB 2020: Mother Tongue Performances Part Two
Co-curated by Mary Annunziata, Allison Cannella, Anna Mikaela Ekstrand, Katya Grokhovsky
Virtual Performance with works by Bianca Falco, Jorge Rojas and María Verónica San Martín.
Lecture: December 6 from 4pm-6pm ET
2019
House of the book|Museum Meermanno, The Hague, Netherlands.
Curated by Ricky Tax
Solo exhibition + Performance
Sep. 21st, 2019 - Jan 5th, 2020
Performance + Talk: Sep 20th (by invitation only)
at the Royal Academy and House of the book | Museum Meermanno
The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Curated by Ksenia Nouril
Group exhibition "The Politics of Rhetoric"
Works by Bethany Collins, Sharon Hayes, Sarah McEneaney, Keris Salmon, María Verónica San Martín and Didier William that draw from archived materials, exposing the inherent biases in our everyday language.
Sep 13-Nov 16, 2019
Performance: Nov 8TH, 6PM
Galeria Animal, Santiago, Chile
Solo exhibition + Performance
Aug 1st-31st, 2019
Performance: August 8TH, 7PM
Talk: August 8TH, 8 PM
University of Delaware Museum, Newark, DE
Performance: Thursday, April 25th, 5 PM (Within the "Moving Memorials" performance)
Galeria ATA (Artist Television Access), San Francisco, CA
Performance: Tuesday, February 5fh, 2019, 7:30 PM
in conjunction with Guillermo Gomez-Pena,
Balitronica Gomez and Marshall Weber
The Center for Book Arts, New York, NY
Solo Exhibition + Performance
January 18th - March 30th, 2019
Opening Reception: Friday 18th, 6:30 PM
Performance: March 7th, 6:30 PM
2018
The National Archives of Chile, Santiago
Solo Exhibition + two Performances + talk
October 4th - November 30th, 2018
Performances 1: October 4, 7PM
Performances 2: October 12, 7PM
Talk: October 12, 8PM
Artists Space, New York, NY
Whitney Independent Study Program (ISP)
Studio exhibition (2017-2018)
Group exhibition + Performance
May 2018
Performance N2: October 4th and October 10, 7 PM
Music: Diego Las Heras / Performers: Barbara Pinto, Francisca Las Heras, Francisco Bagnara + the artist
TALK “ARCHIVES, ART AND MEMORY": October 10, 7 PM
http://www.archivonacional.cl/sitio/Contenido/Cartelera/87681:Archivos-arte-y-memoria
Emma de Ramón, director of The National Archive of Chile
Margarita Romero, president Association for Memory and Human Rights of Colonia Dignidad
Winfried Hempel, lawyer of the victims of the case
Matías Celedón, Chilean writer
María Verónica San Martín, artist
Talk, Red Calle Foundation: October 11, 7 PM
http://www.gentedelacalle.cl/red-calle/
School visits: October 2018
http://www.archivonacional.cl/sitio/Contenido/Cartelera/87474:Memoriales-moviles
II. DIGNIDAD PRESS
AD Haagsche Courant, September 26th, 2019
Dignidad, The Hague, Netherlands
https://krant.ad.nl/titles/algemeendagblad/7921/publications/14663/pages/46
Le Monde Diplomat, August, 2019
María Verónica San Martín “La Caja/ El Caso” 1-31 de agosto, 2019 at Animal Gallery, Santiago, Chile
https://www.lemondediplomatique.cl/article6571,6571.html
The National Archives of Chile
Opening Reception: October 4th, 6:30 PM
http://www.archivonacional.cl/sitio/Contenido/Cartelera/87473:Dignidad
Music: Diego Las Heras / Performers: Barbara Pinto, Francisca Las Heras, Francisco Bagnara + the artist
TV News, channel 13, October 5, 2018
Radio La Clave, interviewed by Fernando Paulsen, oct.10,2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK98fcte-0Y
TV 13, Mesa Central: Chapter 25 - October 7, 2018.
http://www.t13.cl/videos/programas/mesa-central-tv/video-mesa-central-capitulo-25-domingo-7-octubre
Radio Cooperativa, interviewed by Paula Molina, Oct.8, 2018
Radio University of Chile, Oct. 7, 2018
El Dinamo, Actualidad, Oct. 17, 2018.
CASAS Magazine, Art Section, November, 2018. Maria Veronica San Martin "No puedo ignorar la historia y mirar para adelante sin revisar el pasado",by Catalina Plaza. pp.35-40.
The National Archive of Chile, October, 2018.
http://www.archivonacional.cl/sitio/Contenido/Cartelera/87681:Archivos-arte-y-memoria
Association for Memory and Human Rights of Colonia Dignidad, September 13, 2018.
http://www.coloniadignidad.cl/actualidad/noticias/exposicion-archivos-colonia-dignidad-2018/
The Clinic, Art and Culture, Oct. 2, 2018.
http://www.theclinic.cl/2018/10/02/dignidad-exposicion/
Dibam, Exhibitions, October 5, 2018.
http://www.dibam.cl/614/w3-article-87896.html?_noredirect=1
Las Últimas Noticias, October 6, 2018, (pp. 50)
http://www.lun.com/default.aspx?dt=2018-10-06
Le Monde Diplomat, October, 2018.
https://www.lemondediplomatique.cl/article6133,6133.html
El ciudadano, October 7, 2018
The cultural agenda of Santiago de Chile, October 2018.
https://panoramasgratis.cl/event/dignidad
Collaborators:
Association for Human Rights Colonia Dignidad
National Archive of Chile
Winfried Hempel
Exhibition Design: Diego Larraín
María Gracia San Martin
Music: Diego Las Heras
Felipe Valenzuela
Conceptual assistant: Marshall Weber
María Gracia San Martin
Metal construction: Joshua Heintze
Producer National Archive exhibition: Paloma Estévez