Immigrant Dungeon

Immigrant Dungeon is a virtual site commissioned for Public Excess, Miyö Van Stenis locates this interview within the liminal space on a "Immigrant Dungeon". In conversation with Mev Luna, Van Stenis frames her work within political context of the current economic crisis and military dictatorship in Venezuela. Luna and Van Stenis discuss the corporatization of the Internet, the potentialitu of virtual reality, and Van Stenis's body of work and curatorial projects. She shares about her latest piece War Room included as part of the Digital Museum of Digital Art's Exhibition, Morphé Presence.

... 1989, 1992, 1998, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016...
This Venezuelan journey start with the civil manifestation called "El Caracazo" in 1989, and for the last 26 years, Venezuela has faced the most difficult political and economic scenarios. In 1992, Hugo Chavez, a young military, raises himself in the public domain as “The Messiah” after a failed coup to defeat the government of Carlos Andres Perez.

Today, Venezuela lives the 5th Republic of our democratic state, Republic that seems impossible to end
that started in 1999 by Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, after winning the elections. The socialism of the 21st century
transforms the political system centralizing all power on a single figure: Hugo Chavez.

For 2002, Chavez was put in order by military forces, forcing him to resign and the state was in order for a
new government but a few hours later he regained the power. Between 2002 and 2012, “The Chavismo” movement dominates all power and public institution. The PSUV is created as a political party under the representation of “The Chavismo”.

In 2013, Nicolas Maduro, member of the same political party PSUV, keep going the legacy of Hugo Chavez after
been elected as a President of Venezuela, just three most after the death of Chavez. For 2016, around 5 millions of young professional were forced to emigrate from their nation for the impossibility to have a future. In Venezuela poverty exceeds the 70% of the population.

Immigrant Dungeon, It’s a collage of this history.

Miyö Van Stenis