The GIF that Cries: Digital Representations of Peru’s Post-conflict Condition

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine digital representations of the post-conflict condition in Peru and to locate them within the larger Peruvian visual cultural ecology. Through the analysis of a series of popular meme pages, videos and other examples of digital art, I expand on understandings of how Peruvian visual culture has been shaped by the repercussions of the Internal Armed Conflict, and more precisely by the publication of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report. I observe that digital spaces of visual expression have become ways for many young Peruvians to critically engage with the realities of Peru’s recent history and current condition in ways made impossible by traditional visual media. However, such discursive practices permitted within the digital are sometimes contradicted by aesthetic trends that foster a romanticization of the period coinciding with the Internal Armed Conflict. This article thus highlights the friction between the potential and the limitations of digital tools and platforms when it comes to representing and discussing the Peruvian post-conflict condition.