Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Santiago with an international collection of 3,100 artworks donated by artists to the people of Chile. In support of the Unidad Popular (Popular Unity) government and the democratically-elected President Salvador Allende, Museo de la Solidaridad was established in 1971 from works gathered by the International Committee for Artistic Solidarity with Chile (CISAC). In 1973, Allende was overthrown by Augusto Pinochet, whose regime committed human rights atrocities and imposed radical free market policies that removed tariff protections for local industry and banned trade unions.
Forced into exile, the founders of Museo de la Solidaridad reestablished the project as Museo Internacional de la Resistencia Salvador Allende (MIRSA). From 1975 to 1990, the museum operated simultaneously in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, partnering with institutions and individuals to ask for donations and to care for and exhibit the new works, which brought international attention to the dictatorship’s brutality. The institution’s current form as the Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende dates to 1991, with its move back to Chile following the return of an elected government. MSSA’s presentation in the 58th Carnegie International, Spores of Solidarity, revisits its history as a museum hosted by other museums, demonstrating art’s capacity to inspire solidarity and resistance in dialogue with our ever-challenging times.
Spores of Solidarity is curated by Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (MSSA).
