Original article: 8M en Valparaíso: Colectiva Hilos de la Memoria presenta exposición con más de 85 tapices bordados con temáticas feministas

8M in Valparaíso: Hilos de la Memoria Collective Showcases Over 85 Feminist Tapestries

In celebration of Women’s Workers Month, the Cultural Park of Valparaíso (formerly a prison) will host the Hilos de la Memoria Collective, presenting an exhibition featuring over 85 tapestries that blend embroidery, memory, resistance, and an unwavering commitment to Human Rights.

The opening is set for noon on Saturday, March 7, at the first level of the former Reos Gallery located within the Park.

Hilos de la Memoria is a group of women survivors of political imprisonment and torture from the Gómez Carreño community (Viña del Mar), also including neighbors devoted to the defense of Human Rights.

The exhibition—named after the organization—highlights embroidery as a tool for expression, memory, and social action, weaving personal narratives with historical memory around Human Rights violations that occurred during the military dictatorship.

Thus, this exhibition in March aims to emphasize the role of women as key figures in social struggles and as bearers of memory for future generations.

María Angélica Barrientos, a member of the Collective, explained that the exhibition «displays a series of our embroideries focusing on feminist themes, connected to historical memory and our rights as individuals and women who desire peace in the world.»

Juan Villagrán, a board member of the Cultural Park and president of the Collective of Former Political Prisoners of Valparaíso, added that the exhibition serves as «a space where art becomes embrace, testimony, and hope. Each thread, each stitch preserves the voice of women who endured pain, transformed absence into struggle, and sustained life when everything seemed to collapse.»

In that regard, Villagrán elaborated on the role of women regarding Human Rights: «This exhibition intertwines memory, resistance, denunciation, and defense of human rights, reminding us that women have been and continue to be the heart of dignity, truth, and justice. Today, more than ever, they urge us to remember, to safeguard memory, and to keep weaving a future where violence and silence have no place.»

The Hilos de la Memoria exhibition, suitable for all ages and open to the public free of charge, will be available until Sunday, April 26, and can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM at the first level of the former Reos Gallery of the Memories Site in the Cultural Park of Valparaíso.

El Ciudadano