Visual devices for the disappearance of the 43 students of Ayotzinapa, Mexico

Abstract

On September 26, 2014, 43 students from the Escuela Normal “Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos” in Ayotzinapa disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero state, México. The case had immediate local and international repercussions. Manifestations of pain, indignation, but also of struggle, solidarity and empathy took place, in days of action on the streets; social networks followed every action in the months after the tragedy. This article analyzes, from visual studies culture and the practice of artistic activism, three emerging devices of this crisis, considered the most iconic and symbolic visual matrix to represent the normalistas: the number 43, the desks and their faces photographs.