A lecture by Dr. Mariagrazia Muscatello, art historian and curator, on the 1974 edition of the Venice Art Biennale dedicated entirely to Chile after the 1973 "golpe". After the "golpe" of 11 September 1973, an event that had an enormous impact internationally and especially in Italy, Carlo Ripa di Meana -neo-elected President of the Venice Biennale- decided to dedicate the entire 1974 edition of the Biennale to Chile. The kermesse quickly turned into a major cultural protest against the Pinochet dictatorship, involving film, music and theatre, as well as the visual arts.
The 1974 Biennale thus became a device of multidisciplinary experiences, scattered throughout the historical centre and the industrial periphery of Venice, turning into a huge space of active confrontation and exchange between different generations of artists, students, cultural and political agents.
This is why the 1974 Biennial, although little studied, is perhaps the biggest and most resonant cultural protest against the dictatorship.
On this occasion, original archive videos of the inauguration, also attended by President Allende's widow, will be shown, kindly provided by Rai Teche .