1989 / Tiananmen


Location:  Matucana 19 International Garage

Date: June 17, 1989

Event: June 9, 1989 – Tiananmen Square Massacre / 3rd Underground Biennale

Documentation: Patricio Alarcón

Other People/Associations: Vicente Ruiz, Fiskales ad Hoc

Description: On June 17, 1989, in the 3rd Underground Biennale organized by Vicente Ruiz in the Matucana 19 International Garage, which featured bands, visual artists, video artists, and poets, Pedro Lemebel and Francisco Casas made Tiananmen, an action that aimed to denounce the Tiananmen Square Massacre of students and other opponents of the communist regime in China and create solidarity with its victims. They climbed naked onto the stage, their bodies painted white with figures resembling Chinese characters in black, and candles stuck to their fingers. They then put themselves inside bags filled with animal innards, to represent the bloodied body. A text alluding to the massacre was read during the intervention.


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