Chainsaws, crypto, corruption.
Argentina between populism and the radical right
Tobias Boos 

Diego Bianchi’s practice of incorporating objects found in urban and public space into sculptures and large-scale installations can also be seen against the backdrop of the severe economic crisis in Argentina, which began with a sharp recession in 1998/99 and culminated in the collapse of the financial system in 2001/02. Bianchi’s work often addresses socio-political issues in an abstract manner. Coming from a background in arts and craft, he created his first major installation for a Buenos Aires gallery in 2004, when Argentina was in its first phase of economic recovery. The exhibition, which marked the beginning of his artistic career, used objects found in urban spaces, building materials, and other discarded utensils.

The economic crisis in the late 1990s and early 2000s was severe for Argentina, with consequences that persisted 2005, but are arguably still felt today. Following the neoliberal decade of the 1990s, and as a consequence of the economic crisis at the beginning of the new millennium, the center-left Kirchnerism movement, led by Néstor Kirchner (2003−2007) and Christina Fernández de Kirchner (2007−2015), pursued a so-called ​‘neo-desarollista’ method. In a phase of favorable economic conditions, and in view of advantageous international prices, this method forced economic development with strong interventions from the state. Initially, this strategy did lead to a slight improvement in working and living conditions, and benefited workers and disadvantaged population groups, however there was no real redistribution of wealth. The country’s fundamental structural problems remained, however, and these became increasingly apparent from the mid-2010s onwards, increasingly undermining the positive developments. Finally, Kirchner’s alliance was voted out of office in 2015 and replaced by a center-right coalition under Mauricio Macri (2015 – 2019) that aimed to implement a program of economic liberalization, but was unsuccessful. In 2018, the intervention of the International Monetary Fund further strengthened the economic liberalization course and accelerated the economic crisis, with drastic social consequences. Although the Peronist party returned to power under Alberto Fernández (2019 – 2023) in 2019, it also failed to find a way out of economic decline and inflation. After two decades of governments trying to stabilize the economy and increasingly failing to deliver on their promise to strengthen the economy through major state intervention, a large part of the population no longer believed the state was capable of tackling Argentina’s problems.

Since the end of 2023, Javier Milei has been president of Argentina, as chairman of the libertarian and right-wing populist party La Libertad Avanza. During his election campaign, he promised nothing less than a break with the prevailing social order in Argentina: a radical cure would be followed by Argentina’s glorious triumphant resurrection and a return to its former glory and wealth. The promises made by Milei, a self-proclaimed ​“anarcho-capitalist,” combine regressive social ideas and ideals of individual freedom with the utopia of technology-based modernization. But what has become of these promises after two years in office? How does Milei’s project relate to Argentina’s long populist tradition, and how does it fit into the international trend of right-wing extremist and right-wing populist parties? And what relevance does the case of Argentina have for Austria and Europe?