MHN 1819 addresses the tragic figure of Jorge Valenzuela (1922-1963) better known as the “Jackal of Nahueltoro”, an illiterate peasant who went down in history for brutally murdering his wife...
MHN 1819 addresses the tragic figure of Jorge Valenzuela (1922-1963) better known as the “Jackal of Nahueltoro”, an illiterate peasant who went down in history for brutally murdering his wife and five children. During his seclusion, Valenzuela learned to read and write, producing a profound socio-cultural transformation in him.
This painting is constructed from two documents: a copy of the last letter written by Valenzuela the day before his execution. Unimaginable: his poetic prose, although full of spelling mistakes, reflects those residues of good, of longings for redemption that every human being keeps. The second document is a photograph of an indeterminate landscape, from the collection of the National Historical Museum of Chile. These two historical bodies function as antecedents to propose a critical recomposition.