ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Enrique Ramírez's exhibition 'Los durmientes' addresses Chile's traumatic history through video and installation

exhibition · 2026-04-20

The exhibition 'Los durmientes' by Enrique Ramírez showcases a 15-minute video triptych from 2014, featuring actor Alejandro Sieveking as he strolls along a beach in Quintero, clutching a dead fish. The title alludes to the assassination of over 500 political adversaries following General Pinochet's coup in 1973. Marta Ugarte's remains were discovered on the shore in 1976, and in 2004, railroad ties were located offshore in Quintero. Ramírez's work serves as visual metaphors for national trauma, highlighting unresolved crimes. The video loop 'Bell UH-1D Iroquois' represents the stagnation of justice. 'Latitudes' presents 30 black glass sheets engraved with locations of victims. The two-minute video 'Pacífico' shows somber waves, concluding the triptych with an embrace that resonates with 'Ni olvido, ni perdón,' emphasizing the sea as Chile's true burial ground.

Key facts

  • Enrique Ramírez's exhibition 'Los durmientes' includes a 15-minute video triptych from 2014
  • Actor Alejandro Sieveking appears in the video, walking on a beach in Quintero, Chile with a dead fish
  • The title references over 500 political opponents murdered after Pinochet's 1973 coup, dumped into the Pacific Ocean
  • Marta Ugarte's body washed up in Los Molles in 1976, and railroad ties were found in Quintero in 2004
  • The video 'Bell UH-1D Iroquois' shows a helicopter taking off, turning three times, and landing endlessly
  • 'Latitudes' consists of 30 engraved black glass sheets with imaginary mappings of victim disappearance locations
  • The video 'Pacífico' is a silent, static shot of the ocean recorded at 60 frames per second
  • Actor Jorge Becker replaces Sieveking in the triptych, carrying a body bag and exchanging it in a final embrace

Entities

Artists

  • Enrique Ramírez
  • Alejandro Sieveking
  • Jorge Becker
  • General Pinochet
  • Marta Ugarte

Institutions

  • Chilean National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation
  • Chilean Communist Party
  • ArtReview

Locations

  • Quintero
  • Chile
  • Los Molles
  • Playa La Ballena
  • Pacific Ocean

Sources