Artivism and the Aesthetics of Resistance

Deutsche Version

The Artivism of Residente

This video essay explores the cultural significance and activist discourse of René Pérez, the award-winning Puerto Rican artist better known as Residente and former member of the Latin Rap band Calle 13. Pérez’s discourse strongly challenges entrenched power structures, (neo)colonial narratives in Latin America, and critiques the imperialist presence of the United States in the hemisphere, addressing the enduring consequences of coloniality in the region. Pérez is also well known for his political engagement and is an example of a contemporary wave of socially conscious, change-driven artists practicing what has been called artivism.

Combining art and activism the term artivism, emphasizes the deep-rooted relationship between art and politics, as well as the enduring tension between the aesthetic values of art and art for the sake of art, and its potential utilitarian functions.1 Within Cultural Studies, artivism has been linked to Chicanx movements and their ideas of hybridity in the borderlands, with a praxis frequently associated with street and urban art. It is worth noting that the term has been used in the cultural and artistic scene before its academic adoption. Chicana scholar Norell Martinez, for example, has worked on the concept of artivism in the context of a grassroots feminist zine from an East L.A. Chicana collective. She describes «the poetry and art in Flor y Canto as an offering on an altar to illustrate how Chicanas deploy their artivism to speak against gender violence and ultimately heal from their trauma».2 Martinez also notes that even when Gloría Anzaldúa did not explicitly used the term artivism, she was already in the early 1990s contributing to the current understanding of the concept. In Making Face, Making Soul, Anzaldúa states «creative acts are forms of political activism employing definite aesthetic strategies for resisting dominant cultural norms and are not merely aesthetic exercises».3

In the English-speaking academic world, the earliest approximations to a definition appeared in a piece by Chela Sandoval and Guisela Latorre about Chicana educator and activist Judy Baca’s work with Latinx youth groups and digital murals in Los Angeles, California. Sandoval and Latorre underscore the intrinsic link between social engagement and creative praxis, «The term artivism is a hybrid neologism that signifies work created by individuals who see an organic relationship between art and activism».4 This is then further developed in particular relation to the Chicanx thought and praxis:

The term artivism and la conciencia de la mestiza reflect the same human-technology convergences that allow for creative work through digital media. … Chicana/o artivism, like la conciencia de la mestiza, expresses a consciousness aware of conflicting and meshing identities and uses these to create new angles of visions to challenge oppressive modes of thinking. Ultimately, digital artivism is a form of political activism that seeks egalitarian alliances and connections across difference.5

More recently, in the edited collection Artistic Citizenship: Artistry, Social Responsibility, and Ethical Praxis (2016), Rodney Diverlus explores the term in his chapter «Re/imagining Artivism»: «Artivism is a bold vision for alternatives, whatever they may be; it provides a roadmap for finding ways of moving closer toward a ‹utopian› reality. … Artivism involves introducing audiences to radical and transformative concepts and visions – that are digestible and accessible – of and for many world contexts».6 In this sense, Calle 13’s song «Latinamérica», for example, both in its lyrics and visuals paints a universally shared Latin American utopia of an «Eden» that is already being inhabited.

Emphasizing the unique value of the video essay format for analyzing music videos, this contribution focuses on the visual elements of Pérez artivist project, and how it connects with his lyrics. Through the symbolism and imagery of his music videos, it becomes evident how Pérez engages with cultural symbols, indigenous heritage, and historical references to construct a critique of contemporary extractivism, human rights violations, and U.S. imperialism. The audiovisual material analyzed throughout a decolonial aesthetic lens includes Residente’s music video «This is not America» (2022),7 Calle 13’s «Latinoamérica» (2010),8 and Childish Gambino’s «This is America» (2018).9

«‹Latinoamérica›, their anthemic ode to Latin America, personifies the continent as a weathered survivor of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries»,10 and is charged with symbolism, historical references and has function as a catalyst for collective emotions, fostering a sense of shared experience and resilience. This song became a milestone for Perez’s career, also defining his subsequent work as a documentarian, producer, song writer, and his solo music career after the breakup of Calle 13 in 2016. The musical background of this video essay is the 2011 live version of «Latinoamérica» that Calle 13 performed at the Viña del Mar Music Festival in Chile. Within the Latin-American musical and performative landscape, this regional festival is the oldest and biggest in the hemisphere, with a capacity of more than 15,000 live spectators and an average audience of 250 million people. On this occasion, Calle 13 invited Chilean musicians Inti-Illimani, noted for their political engaged lyrics and their fusion of traditional Andean folk, jazz and rock music styles. They became prominent during the Pinochet dictatorship as one of the key bands within La Nueva Canción Chilena, the Chilean counterpart to the broader Latin American resistance movement known as La Nueva Trova. They were joined by Camila Moreno, a contemporary indie pop singer-songwriter also known for exploring social issues in her lyrics. Her presence alongside the historic voices of Inti-Illimani added another layer of relevance to the performance, bridging the gap between generations of Latin American musicians who have used their art to challenge injustice and promote social change. Hence, this performance was significant not only for the musical fusion but also for the political and social messages this specific collaboration conveyed, with both Moreno and Peréz making explicit references to the Mapuche cause within the larger conflict with the Chilean state.

Like their predecessors from La Nueva Trova Latinoamericana, these artists have not only denounced the abuses and injustices perpetrated by political and economic powers of their respective eras, but they have also contributed to the development of a unique cultural and artistic style. A style that has accompanied and continues to accompany, social movements across Latin America, la Nueva Trova, as a socially conscious music genre that emerged as part of the cultural and armed resistance to the South American dictatorships to contemporary Caribbean urban music that is outspoken against the inequalities rooted in late stage capitalism and neo-imperialism.

Across decades and borders, these musical styles have merged and evolved, while keeping certain structural characteristics and adapting to cultural fusions and transformations. From the European colonial invasion to the U.S. interventions of the twentieth century, the stories of Latin America continue to be told in diverse formats and from diverse voices. Pérez’s work is a strong example of this movement, mixing traditional indigenous music with modern electronic beats, while making explicit references to sounds, lyrics and artivist of the greater Latin American region. La Nueva Trova, encapsulated the spirit of resistance against the military regimes of the twentieth century and the complicity of the United States in supporting them, and today, artists like Pérez not only draw from their traditions, but continue the legacy with their own critique of the ongoing struggles in Latin America and the Latinxs living in the United States. 

This is (Not) América

The video essay starts with shots from the music video «This Is Not America» that is being discussed with Pérez during a Good Morning America segment. Speaking from the «colonial wound», 11Pérez explains the importance of not excluding Latin Americans from the idea of America, its history and its current situation. This theme is not new for Latin American philosophers, poets, songwriters, muralists, and, as demonstrated here, twenty-first-century rappers. From nineteenth-century Cuban poet and revolutionary José Martí to iconic Mexican pop idol Luis Miguel, many have attempted to define and counter-define what ‹America› means. This includes addressing the legacy of colonization’s dispossession and its current challenges – such as unequal societal developments and the quality of its democracies. The colonial history and the geopolitical position of Latin America continue to generate living wounds that paint, scream, sing.

Childish Gambino’s «This Is America», gained significant attention for its commentary on the ongoing racial tensions in the United States, the music video features sharp contrasts between playful dancing and violent sequences. In his Good Morning America interview, Pérez mentions that he was excited when he first heard the song’s title, believing that Gambino was offering an inclusive and comprehensive view of ‹America›. Once he realized Gambino was focusing only on the United States of America, he wished to complement and expand the conversation to include also the experiences from Latin America, with his song «This Is Not America». In the interview, Pérez emphasizes that while ‹America› is often used to refer solely to the United States, it actually encompasses the entire continent, and therefore, the struggles of Latin America should also be part of this conversation, particularly because the fight for justice and equality is not limited to the United States but is a continental issue. Hence, belonging is an important topic in Pérez’s discourse present both in «Latinoamérica» as well as in «This Is Not America».

While «Latinoamérica»’s music video showcases a diverse and rich range of Latin American cultures and landscapes, celebrating the continent’s cultural diversity, it also asserts Latin American identity and solidarity, challenging dominant narratives of cultural homogeneity and inferiority. «This Is Not America» contrasts with «Latinoamérica» in its tone, while both address the issues of identity, shared experiences and colorful diversity as well as fighting against injustices, «Latinoamérica» carries a more positive and aspirational tone.

«Latinoamérica» is from Perez’s earlier work, the skinny young man hiking the Peruvian Andes in that video sharply contrasts with the mid-forties René that can be seen rapping in the middle of a street protest in the «This Is Not America» music video. Still, although «Latinoamérica» has this tone and the video is full of examples of natural beauty and human resilience, the song has explicit references to shared open wounds from exploitation and imperialism in both its lyrics and visuals. Pérez screams «Perdono, pero nunca olvido, ¡oye!» (I forgive, but I will never forget, hey!) as the camera zooms in on an elderly woman holding a black-and-white photograph of a Disappeared Detainee from one of the Cold War dictatorships in the Southern Cone. 

In «This Is Not America», after listing numerous complex issues such as narco-governments, coups, murdered journalists, and bankruptcy, and right before directly addressing Childish Gambino, telling him what America really is, he makes a direct reference to the tradition of artivism, as he raps:

Más de cien años de tortura
La Nueva Trova cantando en plena dictadura, 
Somos la sangre que sopla la presión atmosférica, 
Gambino, mi hermano, esto sí es América.12

Although Calle 13 and Residente are generally known as part of the reggaetón and Latin rap music scene, they are also recognized for incorporating more traditional, folkloric, and regional sounds from various parts of the Americas. In particular, «Latinoamérica» deviates significantly from that musical style, featuring strong references to melodies and instrumentation more closely associated with Latin American folklore, particularly La Nueva Trova.

The understanding of the main musical influences of the duo is relevant for the analysis of Latinoamérica. … especially because it is an aesthetically different creation. The work as a sonority and a theme close to the movement Nueva Canción Latinoamericana, also known as «protest songs» from the 1960s and 70s. The vocal lead Residente has stated that he was inspired by the Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa when he wrote the song.13

Throughout the music video of «This Is Not America», there are scenes of a man dressed in black, sitting in a stadium. As someone like myself – a Santiaguina born into a dictatorship, raised in a transitional social and political environment, and later, while studying politics in California, horrified to learn more about the role of the United States in shaping what my country has become (the dreams we allow ourselves to dream) – I can immediately recognize that this man is Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara and that the stadium depicted is the one formerly known as Estadio Nacional (National Stadium), which, in 2011, was renamed in his honor as Estadio Víctor Jara. These simple scenes of the man dressed in black gradually lead up to a violent and explicit depiction of Jara’s assassination. 

Jara was one of the most prominent artists of the Nueva Canción Chilena movement and a vocal supporter of Salvador Allende’s socialist project for Chile. His lyrics not only critiqued inequalities but also advocated for the rights of marginalized and disempowered communities, inspiring hope for a more equitable society. Shortly after the U.S.-backed military coup of 1973, Jara was arrested, tortured, and eventually killed in the Chilean National Stadium. He was subjected to brutal symbolic and physical violence; his hands were slowly broken in a mockery of his craftsmanship, and he was forced to play his guitar before being executed. Jara’s horrific death is, infuriatingly, not an isolated case but emblematic of the thousands who endured physical, psychological, and symbolic violence during the military regimes that gripped the Americas and are a lasting mark on the region’s history, one that continues to resonate in the collective memory of Latin American people. The total number of victims of political violence during this time is estimated to exceed 500,000, according to ongoing truth commissions and human rights investigations, reflecting the depth of the atrocities committed during this era of state-led violence. 

Unidos, caminamos

In the same year of Jara’s death, «El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido», written by Sergio Ortega, was popularized by the renowned Nueva Canción group Quilapayún. It quickly became an anthem of resistance against dictatorship and oppression. Although it originated in the political turmoil of Chile, its message of unity and empowerment resonated worldwide. Translated and covered in multiple languages, «El Pueblo Unido» has been adopted by various movements, from Chicano and labor unions in the 1970s to contemporary labor strikes in Europe and anti-austerity protests in Spain and the United States. Its enduring relevance underscores the song’s universal appeal, continuing to inspire global struggles for justice and human rights. It is still sung at streets protest around the globe. 

This video essay offers only a brief exploration of the symbolism and historical references embedded in Residente’s work, illustrating his artivism as a contemporary example of Latin American cultural expression. Themes of belonging, solidarity, and collective strength, as joyful responses to the atrocities endured, counter dominant narratives surrounding Latinx identity. In «Latinoamérica», Calle 13 emphasizes the unity and collective strength of Latin American people, echoing the sentiment of «El Pueblo Unido». The lyrics highlight solidarity, with lines like «Aquí se respira lucha» (Here we breathe struggle) and «Trabajo bruto pero con orgullo/aquí se comparte, lo mio es tuyo» (I work rough but with pride/here we share, what's mine is yours). The song advocates for unity in the face of oppression, mirroring the «united we stand» message of «El Pueblo Unido». Residente’s artivism reflects this spirit of collective resistance, drawing on themes of resistance against imperialism, oppression, and the power of unity in the fight for dignity and rights.

The «Latinoamérica» video ends by emphasizing the resilience of the people, showing them walking through diverse landscapes and conditions. Similarly, the chorus of «This Is Not America» states, «Aquí estamos, siempre estamos/No nos fuimos, no nos vamos» (We are here, always/We didn’t leave, we’re not leaving). The people of Latin America persist, they keep walking, they keep creating, they keep existing.

• 1Eduardo Costa: Manifesto de Arte Útil, 1969; John Dewey: Art as Experience, New York 2005 [1934].
• 2Norrel Martinez: Femzines, Artivism, and Altar Aesthetics: Third Wave Feminism Chicana Style, in: Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures, vol. 2, no. 2, 2018, 45-67, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/chiricu.2.2.05.
• 3Gloria Anzaldúa: Haciendo Caras, Una Entrada: An Introduction, in: Gloria Anzaldúa (ed.): Making Face, Making Soul / Haciendo Caras: Creative and Critical Perspectives by Women of Color, San Francisco 1990, xxiv.
• 4Chela Sandoval and Guisela Latorre: Chicana/o Artivism: Judy Baca’s Digital Work with Youth of Color, in Raiford Guins and Chela Sandoval: Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media, Cambridge, MA 2008, 82.
• 5Ibid., 83.
• 6Rodney Diverlus: Re/imagining Artivism, in: David J. Elliott, Marissa Silverman, and Wayne Bowman (ed.):Artistic Citizenship: Artistry, Social Responsibility, and Ethical Praxis, New York 2016, 191.
• 7Residente: This Is Not America, YouTube, 14.4.2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK87AKIPyZY (5.2.2025)
• 8Calle 13: Latinoamérica, YouTube, 26.4.2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkFJE8ZdeG8 (5.2.2025).
• 9Childish Gambino: This Is America, YouTube, 5.5.2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY (5.2.2025).
• 10Melinda S. Molina: Calle 13: Reggaeton, Politics, and Protest, in: Capital University Law Review, vol. 43, no. 2, 2015, 146, https://journals.library.wustl.edu/lawpolicy/article/id/1119/.
• 11Walter Mignolo: The Darker Side of Western Modernity: Global Futures, Decolonial Options, Durham, NC 2011.
• 12

  «More than a hundred years of torture/The Nova Trova singing in the midst of the dictatorship/We are the blood that blows the atmospheric pressure/Gambino my brother, this indeed is America». Translation by the author.

• 13Ivan Bomfim: «You Can’t Buy My Life»: Calle 13, the Representations of the Continent in the Latinoamérica Musical Narrative and the Ambiguous Puerto Rican Context, in: Contracampo: Brazilian Journal of Communication, vol. 37, no. 1, 2018, 72.