When it opened its doors in April 1972, UNCTAD III had 11 murals made by the most important artists of the time. Among them was Guillermo Núñez, 2007 National Fine Arts Prize winner, who created a mural in acrylic and wood to cover one of the walls of the entrance hall to the emblematic building. The piece was a tribute to the volunteer workers of the Popular Unity government. Currently, the Núñez mural is missing along with eight other murals that did not survive the dictatorship.
Núñez's tribute to volunteer workers will be revived by prominent Chilean artist Alejandro “Mono” González, in a 73.26-square-meter mural at the north exit of the Universidad Católica metro station. The initiative arises as a way to recover spaces and memory: "This work has to do with how we are recovering public spaces with a message linked to our history and memory. It is also about paying tribute to a national art award and recovering the imagery of a mural that no longer exists," says González.
The idea was born after the intervention of the mural “Saludo a la historia”, also created by González for the 2012 Homemade Festival. With this background, GAM and González agreed to work together to pay tribute to Guillermo Núñez and reveal the history of the building.
"At GAM we permanently work to highlight the memory of the building and, in this sense, the art collection from 1972 is key. That is why we decided, together with the artist Mono González, to make this mural inspired by one of the works of UNCTAD III. This is the kickoff of a conservation and restoration project of heritage works that we will carry out starting in mid-February," says Felipe Mella, executive director of GAM.
González wanted to add a contemporary look with a collaborative work together with two other prominent national graffiti artists: Saile and Matu. The artists announced that the theme of the mural will also revolve around the memory of the building.
Photo gallery credits: Miguel Lawner and Armindo Cardoso. Jorge Sanchez.