Abstract

This essay attempts to identify transformations in the idea of «public space» in Latin America, starting from the recent emergence of democracy in those countries. The role of artistic practice is always directly connected with the rise of civil society, with the development of forms of empowerment, and the crisis of neo-free market economics. The focus is placed on the specific artistic practises that have arisen in four Central and South American countries: artistic approaches to recovery of social justice in Argentina, the activation of survival strategies in Venezuela, frontier visions in Mexico and performance practises by the resistance in Guatemala.