C.A.D.A., COLECTIVO ACCIONES DE ARTE

(Santiago, 1979 – 1985)

Formed by sociologist Fernando Balcells, novelist Diamela Eltit, poet Raúl Zurita, and visual artists Lotty Rosenfeld and Juan Castillo, C.A.D.A. embodied the first Chilean artistic avant-garde that was able to respond to the dislocations brought about by the 1973 coup d’état and the ensuing military dictatorship. Through its practice, the group, active between 1979 and 1985, questioned the division between art, city, community, and poverty, as well as the spaces in which art was allowed to operate. In hindsight, its huge influence marked a turning point in the development of Chilean art, with works like To Not Die of Hunger In Art (1979), ¡Ay Sudamerica! (1981) and No+ (1983) constituting milestones in the country’s production of contemporary art.