“TORTURE IN CHILE BUEN PASTOR JAIL WOMEN HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE MOST BRUTAL TORTURES ⁠ ⁠ LIVE MICE AND INSECTS INTRODUCED INTO VAGINAS. NIPPLES BLOWN OFF OR BURNT. GENITALS DESTROYED BY ELECTRICITY.”⁠ ⁠ The documentary aspect of @NancySpero’s work is evident in her use of newspaper reports and case histories of torture, with the victims’ names and their country of origin clearly indicated. Starting in 1974, Spero made two series that dealt with torture: "Torture in Chile" (1974) and "Torture of Women" (1974-76), both based on case histories taken from the annals of Amnesty International in South America. ⁠ ⁠ "Torture in Chile" (1975) directly references the September 11, 1973 coup d’etat which deposed Chilean president Salvador Allende, an event marked by the extreme violence with which supporters of the former government were suppressed. To the emerging reports of the inhumane treatment meted out to opponents of the new regime, Spero responded with a harrowing, boldly graphic work which quoted directly from an article that revealed the terrible punishments inflicted on Chilean women in Pinochet’s jails.⁠ ⁠ This work is currently on view in our OVR "Nancy Spero: Here at Home." Follow link in bio to enter.⁠ ⁠ #NancySpero #print #protestart #feminist