In Chile, globalization has taken place through the imposition of neoliberalism; it started in Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship and remained unquestioned in democracy. This dramatic process has caused a strong impact in multiple aspects of social and subjective life. This dissertation studies how the artistic practices or young poets and visual artists in Chile materialize the way globalization is experienced in this country and the positions that young generations are taking toward globalization and its social consequences. The visual and poetic practices of many young artists reveal a sense of precarity: a deep and pervading sensation of instability and uncertainty that adopts diverse forms of expression and meanings. The sensation of precarity is rooted in the social conditions produced by globalization and generates imaginaries and modes of representation that are materialized in art. This project explores the diverse manifestations of precarity in several aspects of artistic practices and identifies its potential of creativity and resistance both at the aesthetic level and in the cultural field.
Artistic practices include works as well as other actions that artists perform as part of their artistic activity. This comprehensive approach is necessary for understanding how the sensation of precarity motivates practical actions related to aesthetic experimentation, the production of a critical position in relation to globalization, or an intervention in local cultural scene. The main aspects of the artistic practice considered in this project are the creative process and the involvement of artists in independent projects of production and circulation of art.
The analysis of poetic and visual practices reveals that precarity can be expressed in multiple ways: as a condition lived by the subjects represented in the texts, as a characteristic of form and materiality and as a condition for the production of art. Although precarity can adopt multiple meanings, two opposite meanings that interact and combine in artistic practices can be identified: enjoyment and vulnerability. In poetry, precarity is expressed as vulnerability, a feeling of fragility and defenselessness that shows how wide sectors of Chilean population have been weakened by the interventions of neoliberal governments and have been put in a condition of inferiority and marginality. In the poems, individuals overcome this feeling through their involvement in transitory intensities (dance and sex) as well as in group practices. The texts emphasize that the compensation of vulnerability is only possible when collective action is involved. The works and practices also reveal a relationship between precarity and poverty. Poets represent vulnerable subjects in situation of poverty, while visual artists use poor materials and create alternative projects of exhibition and sale based in low price art and community-directed activities. Finally, precarity, as a feeling shared by people around the world, can be considered as a main variable for the internationalization of contemporary art.
This project's comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the practices of young artists and poets in Chile will contribute to a better understanding on the role of art in current globalized societies and of the capacity and creativity of youth for cultural intervention.