“The Exhumation of Memory in NN12, ‘Desmemoria,’ and ’45 cerebros y un corazón’.”

Accounts of horrific discoveries unearthed in mass graves from the Spanish Civil War have inspired Spanish performing artists to address their impact on collective memory, history, and identity. Gracia Morales’ NN12, which traces the process of identification through DNA testing of anonymous remains, shares striking similarities with two songs by María Arnal and Marcel Bagés: “45 cerebros y 1 corazón” and “Desmemoria.” These artists explicitly condemn the state-imposed silence and amnesia of the twentieth century through their portrayal of the dangers of unresolved trauma: the fragmentation of subjective experience, the unavoidable resurfacing of suppressed memories, and the loss of identity. In telling their stories, these artists restore a sense of myth and ritual to the deceased, which enables society to publicly mourn its forgotten victims. We contend that this process not only helps to recuperate historical memory, but that it offers Spanish society an opportunity for healing.