Arpilleras are textile artworks created in Chile following the 1973 coup d’état that became symbols of resistance during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. They are poignant testimonies by Chilean women who, using thread and scraps of fabric, created powerful stories of loss, solidarity and the search for truth about their missing loved ones.
Mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of those detained, disappeared, imprisoned, tortured or forced into exile turned to the simplest materials: scraps of fabric, thread and wool. From these, they created stories about their loved ones, for whose return they continued to hope.
Arpilleras were created during communal gatherings and workshops. The women came not only to create, but also to be together: to talk, support one another and find strength in solidarity. In a world marked by censorship, their work allowed them to speak of what was meant to remain unspoken. Scenes of violence, fear and resistance were captured on colourful, intricately detailed fabrics: abductions, prisons, torture centres, protests, hunger strikes, exile, collective action and the desire for the return of democracy. Arpilleras were more than just works of art. They became testimonies, chronicles of reality and symbols of resistance against violence. They were also a means of demanding truth and justice.
Many Sybiraks, too, recounted their experiences of exile not only through words, but also through the objects they created. Sculptures, paintings and small artefacts became tangible traces of memory – records of trauma, longing and the need to make sense of suffering.
At the Sybir Memorial Museum, Chilean arpilleras meet the experience of exile to Siberia. Although the histories of Chile and Siberia are different, we present them as part of a broader narrative about state violence, memory and the need to bear witness. In both cases, the question arises of how to preserve the memory of people affected by state violence when words prove insufficient.
We invite you to the opening, which will take place on 10 July at 6:00 p.m. at the Sybir Memorial Museum. The exhibition will be on view until 16 October 2026.
Exhibition curators: Prof. Wojciech Śleszyński, Julita Waś, Andrés Mauricio Rojas Rojas
Free admission!
