During the last 250 years, humanity has witnessed and participated in countless revolutions, one of the main motivations being the fight for human rights, particularly health, education, and the right to basic housing. Unfortunately, where there is a revolution, there is censorship, and it is here where the role of graphic artists is fundamental, as they are the ones who write in this life diary, in this specific place of time and space that speaks to us in the first person about our deepest desires of a society in crisis.
As of October 18th, 2019, and to date, Chile has entered a process of profound social change, followed by protests throughout the entire territory, where the people have decided to take to the streets to demand changes in the current system and that it is a legacy of the period of dictatorship that Chile suffered during the 70s and 80s.
With people of all ages "caceroleando" -banging pots- in every corner to demand their rights, and with protests that summoned more than 1,200,000 people, graphic art, both in Chile and the rest of Latin America, has seen a flourishing, bringing with it a spring of visual revolution throughout the continent.
Chile Woke was born as a response and in solidarity with the social movement, but without forgetting that the problems for which people go out to protest are the same in Chile and throughout Latin America and the world. We have seen the need to build a space that accommodates these works and the stories they propose, understanding the documentary role of photography and the power that graphic art has to represent a feeling. For this, we decided to start a curatorial archive, which would allow us to create exhibitions anywhere, opening windows and spaces for Chilean graphics and photography developed by Chilean artists, but also creating a dialogue around the works presented and allowing us to think about how we can be participants in this movement. The poster can help us understand the daily struggles of society, and as a result, we see the need to protect this visual treasure.
Created, curated, and produced by Chilean graphic designer Marce Soto Ramirez, the goal of Chile Woke is to promote the work of artists and photographers that created pieces related to the social and political crisis ongoing in Chile since October 18th, 2019, raising awareness about police and state violence, denouncing human rights violations, and creating spaces for communities to talk and heal.