43: The Aftermath of a Disappearance

Emmanuel Guillén Lozano’s 43: The Aftermath of a Disappearance is an ongoing visual documentation of the repercussions of the mass kidnapping of 43 student protesters in Mexico that took place on September 26-27, 2014. The project follows the victims’ families and the protests they attend in Mexico City and the state of Guerrero. As investigation continues into the possible culpability of state and federal actors with a government cover up, Guillén Lozano says, “We must not forget just because the media forgets. If we forget them, then yes, they will be dead.” In 2018, the president of Mexico created the Comisión para la Verdad del Caso Ayotzinapa or Truth Commission for the Truth of the Ayotzinapa Case, and the commission has since found that the state was involved with the kidnapping, created a false narrative, and have issued arrests for those involved. Since 2014, three of the students have been identified through bone fragments, while the families of the other forty victims await information about what happened to their loved ones. Recent events, including the cancellation of a majority of the arrest warrants and interference from government officials have put the investigation at risk.

This exhibit was created in 2016, and today uncovering the truth of this disappearance and providing justice to the loved ones of the 43 is still an ongoing process. While this exhibit shows the repercussions of the mass kidnapping in the two years afterwards, it can be used today to continue to raise awareness about the lack of justice and answers provided to families, as well as spark conversations about the effectiveness of truth commissions and the idea of what constitutes justice.