"This democracy is no longer democracy": Protest Art and the aesthetics of subversion in times of political repression in Peru “ESTA DEMOCRACIA YA NO ES DEMOCRACIA”: ARTE DE PROTESTA Y ESTÉTICA DE LA SUBVERSIÓN EN TIEMPOS DE REPRESIÓN POLÍTICA EN PERÚ¹

This study examines the transformative role of art in contexts of violence and state repression in Peru, much like what occurs in other Latin American countries. With a critical approach, it investigates how artistic practices subvert official narratives and articulate discourses of resistance that denounce historical inequalities and tensions inherited from processes of colonialism and exclusion. The study focuses on three cultural manifestations: the protest song "Esta democracia ya no es democracia," which emerged during the mobilizations against the government of Dina Boluarte in 2022 and 2023; the sculpture *La descarada* by César Aguilar, which, through visual symbolism, critiques state power and its hierarchical structures; and the *blanquinegra* flag, a modification of the national emblem that resignifies mourning and protest in the face of repression. By integrating methodologies such as Critical Discourse Analysis, iconographic analysis, and Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, the study unravels the mechanisms that allow these symbols to transform pain and inequality into tools of denunciation and empowerment. The findings reveal that art, by articulating new social imaginaries, generates spaces of resistance and fosters processes of political and social change in the region.