Is this Che Guevara?, 1969

This edition by Joe Tilson questions the identity and media representation of the revolutionary leader following his death in Bolivia in 1967. Repeated photographic images of Guevara are overlaid with fragments of maps, newspaper reports and bold graphic elements, including a striped band of stars and a winding map-like form. The central newspaper text reports on the identification and burial of Guevara’s body, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding his death and identity.
The work reflects Tilson’s increasingly anti-authoritarian and politically engaged practice of the late 1960s, when figures such as Che Guevara, Ho Chi Minh and Malcolm X became recurring subjects. Guevara’s death without trial and the subsequent concealment of his burial contributed to his transformation into a revolutionary martyr and international symbol of resistance. By combining documentary material with repeated imagery and graphic intervention, Tilson turns contemporary news into a critical reflection on political violence, media representation and the construction of revolutionary icons.
The work is part of the colleciton of MoMA, New York.