Julieta Gil
Nuestra Victoria
Nuestra Victoria focuses on a prominent Mexico City monument. During the summer of 2019, the “Ángel de la Independencia” monument was a site of protests against a long-standing crisis in Mexican culture: systemic violence against women. Women who attended the protests inscribed statements and demands related to the misogynistic culture, and the high number of femicides. According to the 2020 panel titled “Combating Femicide, 8 years after its incorporation into the justice system: experiences and challenges,” magistrates of justice from various entities, legislators, and civil organizations reported that approximately 10 to 11 women lose their lives every day to this horrific violence. Eventually the monument was boarded up by the government for restoration, covering the graffiti and thereby silencing the voices of protest it carried.
To preserve the information added to the monument and this historic act of civil disobedience, Gil created a 3D digital object as an archive, using drone footage and photogrammetry. The intervention of hundreds of women on the monument, and the digital conservation of this public action enables new forms of collective memory, heritage, and shared ownership. Because this artwork is an NFT, the 3d object will continue to circulate freely online.
The creation of this digital archive also serves as evidence, as demands for justice continue, and as an historical marker—a digital testimony for future research on the topic. Nuestra Victoria is a key example of feminist activism, and the government’s role in censorship and denial of the voices of women. The digital object, which can be redeployed in virtual space using AR technology, is a meta-monument— and a symbol of the fragility of patriarchal institutions.
By capturing in time the transformation of this monument, Gil’s work ensures that the voices of resistance are preserved and accessible world-wide via the distributed internet—something that the Mexican government actively suppresses.
Julieta Gil's artistic practice and approach hold great relevance in the current social and political context. Her work delves into the relationship between spatial and material memory through various media forms, providing insights into the ways in which collective narratives intersect with imposed ones. Her recent focus on documenting monuments as sites of memory offers a poignant commentary on the current moment of social and political activism, particularly in light of the ongoing debates about monuments and their role in shaping public memory. Gil's approach to using technology as an extension of the self is especially relevant in the digital age, where our relationship with technology is increasingly intimate and complex. Her use of subversive techniques to create 3D models through photogrammetric scanning is a fresh take on the use of technology in art and documentation, demonstrating how technology can be used to challenge dominant narratives and to offer new perspectives on existing objects. Her practice and approach offer a unique and relevant perspective on memory, heritage, and the use of technology in art and documentation. Her work is a testament to the power of artistic expression in confronting social and political issues and preserving the voices of resistance.