Multidisciplinary artist Vicente Ruiz, a key figure in Chilean counterculture during the dictatorship and democratic transition, died in Santiago at age 67. His legacy includes provocative performances addressing taboo topics like discrimination and social exclusion. His 1992 work 'Por la Cruz y la Bandera' sparked major controversy.
Vicente Ruiz, recognized as an icon of Chilean counterculture in the 1980s, died in Santiago at age 67, as confirmed by Chileactores and his close circle. As a performer, actor, director, and cultural manager, Ruiz marked artistic resistance during Pinochet's dictatorship and extended his influence into the democratic transition under Patricio Aylwin's government.
His most controversial work, the performance 'Por la Cruz y la Bandera,' was presented on February 27, 1992, in the main nave of Santiago's Museo de Bellas Artes. Alongside actress Patricia Rivadeneira, Ruiz created a scene of a woman crucified surrounded by a Chilean flag, symbolizing the exclusion of minorities such as AIDS patients, sexual diversity, and the Mapuche people. 'Vicente wanted to draw attention not only to discrimination against AIDS patients or sexual diversity, but also to the Mapuche people,' Rivadeneira explained in an interview with La Voz de los que sobran.
The presentation, integrated into a fashion show to raise awareness about AIDS with government officials present, sparked political and media uproar. Headlines like 'Terremoto por desfile porno' and 'Escándalo en el museo' filled the press, and Ruiz received death threats. 'There was a huge reaction at all levels. Ministers, politicians spoke... Then I got death threats. Society divided between the old and the young,' Ruiz recalled in an interview with La Tercera. Rivadeneira added: 'I think only now do I realize how traumatic it was for me emotionally, physically, and well, many doors closed too.'
Ruiz is also remembered for reviving singer Cecilia and performances like 'Hipólito' in 1984. In January 2025, he donated his archive of over 500 documents to the Biblioteca Nacional. His wake is at Los Misioneros 2176, Providencia. In 2022, the full recording of the performance was exhibited on the Escenix platform, correcting its perception as a 'pornoshow' and reaffirming its artistic value.
His work opened debates on taboo topics, modernizing Chilean society. 'The performance was the realization that something was happening at the grassroots,' Ruiz said in 2022 to the University of Chile's Palabra pública.
