Silhouttes of the disappeared

From 1976 to 1983 an estimated 30,000 Argentines "disappeared", leaving their families and friends in the dark as to their whereabouts or fate.

In a climate of fear and repression, it was difficult to gauge the scale of the disappearances. Few media outlets were prepared to report on the subject, and public expression was restricted.

Public art proved to be an effective method of highlighting the scale of the disappearances, and thousands took part in a public art project that saw the walls of the city covered in silhouettes, with each silhouette representing a person who had disappeared.

Photo: Monica Hasenberg
Archivo Hasenberg-Quaretti