The Censorship of Modern Indigenous Art in Peru

In response to the violence and trauma faced, Indigenous communities in Peru began expressing their feelings and experiences through art. Some of the most famous that have recently come to light are ones by the Ayacucho community of Sarhua (Museo De Arte De Lima, 2009). The artists, known as the Asociación de Artistas Populares de Sarhua (ADAPS), created 31 paintings on wood from 1980-2000, such as the one attached. The artists who created these pieces all migrated from their rural community to Lima due to their interactions with Sendero Luminoso. 

In the paintings, we can see very graphic acts such as “murder, rape, and sexual violence, torture, and enforced disappearances” (NACLA). Before 2017, the collection of art was never made public to Peruvians. When created, they were shipped to Costa Rica, where one of the artists relocated to hide the work from Sendero Luminoso and the Peruvian government. When made public in 2017, the government forcefully confiscated the pieces of art and placed them under investigation due to its alleged “apologia del terrorismo” (NACLA). The art was put under investigation from October 2017 until May 2018 until the District Attorney’s Office decided that there was no evidence of the charge claimed. 

During this time, a Peruvian tabloid, Diario Correo, reported on this incident, causing other tabloids and politicians (mainly right-wing identifying) to defend the government’s claim and stating that the Indigenous people represented in the paintings appear to support terrorism (NACLA). 

When interpreting the art and its meaning, it is evident that these are anti-Sendero Luminoso pieces. In 12 of the 31 paintings, “the artists refer to the Shining Path as onqoy, which in Quechua means ‘sickness’ – the Sarhua artists perceived the Shining Path as a ‘plague’ and a threat to their community” (NACLA). Even in one of the more graphic paintings, the Indigenous community is shown dismembering the Shining Path leader of their town.

The government’s response to these pieces of Indigenous Peruvian history shows how quickly the government accuses individuals of terrorism and how quick they are to censor things they question or dislike. I believe it also reals “much about the state of human rights in Peru today” (NACLA), mainly how the government communicates with Indigenous communities and its past with domestic terrorist groups.

Works Cited:

Espliego, Mario. “Piraq Causa. Una Memoria De Los Irrepresentables.” Dispersion y Serendipia. Accessed April 2, 2021. http://dispersionyserendipia.net/articulos/piraq-causa-una-memoria-de-los-irrepresentables/

Gonzalez, Olga. “Art Under Attack in Peru.” NACLA, 2018. https://nacla.org/news/2018/08/29/art-under-attack-peru

“Mali- Museo De Arte De Lima,” 2009. https://www.facebook.com/museodeartedelima/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156088304223894