On December 7, 2022, Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress, an act that was interpreted as a coup d’état and led to his removal from office. Dina Boluarte assumed the presidency amid a deep political crisis. In response, protests erupted across the country, especially in the southern regions, with social organizations rejecting Congress and expressing support for Castillo. The mobilizations, which began on December 8, were met with harsh repression by the police and armed forces.
Within days, the first deaths occurred, including those of two teenagers in Andahuaylas on December 11. The state repression intensified in cities such as Ayacucho, Cusco, and Juliaca, where 18 people were killed on January 9. The impunity surrounding these deaths, along with provocative statements by authorities, fueled protests until February 2023. Although demonstrations still persist, they have significantly decreased due to widespread fear of state violence. More than 50 people have died, and no one has been held accountable.
The families of those killed by police repression during the protests continue to endure the pain of absence without having found justice. Most of the victims were young people with interrupted dreams, whose deaths left deep voids in their homes and communities. Their personal belongings have become small altars of mourning. In a country with a slow and complicit justice system, these families have become guardians of memory and the dignity of their dead. Every image, banner, and march is an act of resistance against forgetting. In a Peru where justice is elusive, the absence of these young people has become a presence that confronts the State and society.
This project emerges from the need to face a grief that is often silenced by official narratives. My motivation comes from encounters with family members who, despite their pain, continue to cultivate memory. Through a practice that combines documentary photography with a critical gaze, I have approached the intimate spaces of mourning with respect and deep listening. The process has been slow and accompanied. Each photograph has also been an act of care and shared remembrance.
My artistic approach is grounded in the belief that the image can serve as a space for symbolic reparation. I seek to create photographs that not only document pain but also restore the dignity that was violently taken. I reject the sensationalism of suffering and choose an aesthetic that centers humanity, love, and resistance. This project is also a form of accompaniment, of weaving collective memory through art, and of making visible the ongoing struggle for justice and truth.
