As Chavez and Maduro images disappear, is Venezuela entering a new chapter?

Murals and billboards of former socialist leaders like Hugo Chavez are being removed in Venezuela. Is it a sign of change, or simply rebranding?

Victor Rodriguez, known as Forastero, painted a mural of Hugo Chavez in honour of the late Venezuelan leader's birthday [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera] Victor Rodriguez, known as Forastero, painted a mural of Hugo Chavez in honour of the late Venezuelan leader's birthday [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

Caracas, Venezuela – In a small square in central Caracas, Victor Rodriguez pauses at a giant mural of a figure draped in teal green. It’s the man he credits with giving him the opportunity to become an artist: former President Hugo Chavez.

Rodriguez, who paints under the name Forastero, helped create the image for the late Venezuelan leader's birthday on July 28. He says Chavez opened up new spaces for art and culture, giving artists from poorer neighbourhoods opportunities they never had before.

But today, Forastero is dismayed. He worries about the future of such art.

“Chavez represents revolution. He is anti-imperialist,” Forastero told Al Jazeera. “But now Chavez murals are disappearing.”

In recent months, Caracas has seen a transformation. Monumental images of Chavez and other figures linked to his political movement, chavismo, used to be common.

But now, graffiti, murals and billboards are being painted over or taken down. The Palace of Justice, once flanked by twin portraits of Chavez and the 19th-century revolutionary Simon Bolivar, has seen both images covered up.

In their place, there are new blue banners, emblazoned with the slogan "Venezuela renace" or "Venezuela reborn".

The changes come as Venezuela undergoes a period of political change after nearly three decades of chavista rule.

Since the United States launched a military operation to abduct and imprison then-President Nicolas Maduro in January, the country has been under intense pressure to reimagine its socialist government.

For some Venezuelans, the cosmetic changes are happening faster than any substantial ones. Some don’t want any changes at all.

Forastero sees maintaining his murals as a way of pushing back against the US influence in his government. “Now, painting Chavez is resistance," he said.

Víctor Rodriguez sees painting Hugo Chavez as an act of ‘resistance’ against US intervention [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera] Víctor Rodriguez sees painting Hugo Chavez as an act of ‘resistance’ against US intervention [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

In parts of Caracas, the smell of fresh paint lingers on walls and buildings where the new government motto "Venezuela renace" now appears.

Bright blue and yellow billboards are plastered across government housing blocks and motorway roadsides, advertising the catchphrase.

The "Venezuela renace" campaign began in the weeks after the country was struck by twin earthquakes on June 24. At least 6,500 people were killed.

The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez came under heavy criticism for its initial response to the disaster. It then moved to put reconstruction at the centre of its public messaging.

Orlando Perez, a political scientist at the University of North Texas at Dallas, sees the new imagery as part of Rodriguez's efforts to establish her own political identity, separate from chavismo.

After all, until January, Rodriguez was Maduro's vice president. Maduro himself was Chavez's handpicked successor.

“Rodriguez is asking to be judged on [Venezuela's] reconstruction rather than on revolutionary lineage or history,” Perez said. “What makes it interesting is that it is contested.”

Perez explained that chavistas are divided over the removal of the images. In June, the governor of one Venezuelan state, Freddy Bernal, criticised efforts to replace Chavez and Maduro portraits in government institutions.

But much of that internal tension predates the "Venezuela renace" campaign, according to Perez.

“The fight is about who owns chavismo, who owns the movement,” Perez told Al Jazeera.

Since 1999, Venezuela has been led by Chavez and his successors. But after almost three decades of political dominance, chavista leaders now are contending with a new factor: a US leader who seeks control over Venezuela's government.

US President Donald Trump has leveraged his influence since Maduro's abduction to push Venezuela to pursue economic reforms, including greater foreign access to the country's oil and mining sectors.

He has also exercised control over Venezuela's fuel exports and landed a deal last month that would give the US a majority stake in 65 billion barrels of oil reserves in the country.

Despite the US-led upheaval, many Venezuelans say they’ve noticed few changes in their everyday lives.

The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez has dubbed a recent outreach campaign 'Venezuela reborn' [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera] The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez has dubbed a recent outreach campaign 'Venezuela reborn' [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

Change or rebranding?

Javier Hernandez is a retiree who receives a state pension equivalent to just $0.14 a month. This year, he said food prices have risen, and the electricity goes out several times a day.

But he welcomes the disappearance of the chavismo-themed images. He hopes political and economic changes will follow.

“These chavista figures have brought nothing but damage and hatred and bad things to our country. They don’t deserve for anyone to be looking at pictures of them,” Hernandez told Al Jazeera.

Still, their replacements leave him feeling ill at ease. Hernandez lives in La Guaira, the area hardest hit by the June earthquakes. Three of his nieces and nephews died, as well as other family members and friends.

Amid the destruction, he noticed the bright blue and yellow "Venezuela renace" signs starting to rise.

Javier Hernandez has welcomed the disappearance of the chavismo art but has misgivings about its replacements [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

“When I see or hear that phrase, it angers me because those politicians don’t live here, and they haven’t suffered the impacts of the earthquakes like we have,” Hernandez said.

“People are still searching for bodies. They’re still taking people out of the rubble.”

The government has promised to rebuild La Guaira, one of Venezuela’s main tourist areas, known for its sandy beaches.

It has also launched the Gran Mision Venezuela Renace, promising temporary accommodation for those displaced, new housing before the end of 2026 and subsidies for affected families buying homes.

But Hernandez said La Guaira is far from being "reborn".

“Many people in La Guaira are now unemployed because the main source of jobs and activity is tourism, hotels, restaurants, businesses. We're having a very hard time here — very, very hard," he explained.

The eyes of Hugo Chavez are a popular motif in pro-government murals across Venezuela [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera] The eyes of Hugo Chavez are a popular motif in pro-government murals across Venezuela [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

The ‘ghost’ of Chavez

Political imagery has often grown more prominent in Venezuela when residents are struggling, according to Irina Troconis, author of the book The Necromantic State, about Chavez's lingering influence.

Such imagery can serve as a counternarrative to real conditions on the ground, she explained.

“The imagery is used at certain times to represent supposed change that people are actually not living through at all," Troconis said

She pointed to government slogans like "Venezuela has been fixed", which were used in 2022 to project optimism despite hyperinflation and economic collapse.

Troconis also argues that the enduring presence of Chavez in public art allowed his influence to endure even after his death in 2013.

The pervasiveness of Chavez-themed imagery puts later leaders like Maduro constantly in dialogue with the late president's leadership. It also projects the image of continuity, from Chavez onward, according to Troconis.

“Chavez remained the president in this sort of ghostly figure, and Maduro was more like the vice president to that ghost,” she said.

But she cautions that Venezuela's changing imagery may not signal deeper political transformation.

"What makes chavismo unique in some ways is its capacity to mutate and adapt and change through a process of rebranding that doesn't always require real internal, inherent change," Troconis said.

Experts like Irina Troconis argue that Hugo Chavez has become a 'ghostly figure' in Venezuela, due to the prevalence of his portrait [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera] Experts like Irina Troconis argue that Hugo Chavez has become a 'ghostly figure' in Venezuela, due to the prevalence of his portrait [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

Chavez’s eyes still gaze from walls across Caracas. So too do the eyes of other figures, like Maduro and independence leader Simon Bolivar. Some images are faded. Others are accompanied by slogans like "To doubt is treason".

Forastero has worked on government projects, including under Rodriguez. But he is critical of some of the newer images. He remembers a time when he painted murals of Chavez playing with children or riding a bicycle, not slogans.

“When Chavez was alive, people painted Chavez because we loved him very much. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

In recent decades, he argues that Venezuela's public art has fallen increasingly under government control, with murals commissioned to carry explicitly political messages.

“Muralism is a story told on a wall," Forastero said. "What we really see on the walls now are propaganda posters. I’m a chavista, and I’m disgusted by it."

Still, the removal of the artwork is another form of propaganda, in Forastero's eyes. He believes the Rodriguez government is seeking to project a more "neutral" appearance to better appeal to the US.

He also accuses Rodriguez of abandoning ideals key to the chavismo movement: namely, anti-imperialism and revolution. He pointed to the US's role in shaping Venezuelan policy.

“The United States is forcing our government to behave this way," Forastero said.

Forastero believes the removal of Hugo Chavez murals is part of an effort by Venezuela's government to appeal to the US [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

Rafael Araujo, a Venezuelan activist, has a different view of the changing landscape.

To him, there was something “jarring” about seeing chavista figures plastered across city walls, especially the leaders who have caused the country so much pain.

During their time in power, Chavez and Maduro both faced allegations of overseeing human rights abuses, including through the violent suppression of dissent. Venezuela's last two presidential elections have been widely denounced as illegitimate.

Known in Caracas as Senor Papagayo, Araujo has used colourful, handmade kites to protest against government violence and economic policy.

He sees the Chavez murals as a form of oppression, an ever-visible reminder of a repressive government apparatus.

His kites are a way of sending a different message. His favourite carries aloft a single word: "Freedom".

“Freedom is what all countries need. Democracy is the most balanced system a citizen can live under,” Araujo said.

Rafael Araujo poses with two kites he made in protest against the Venezuelan government [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera] Rafael Araujo poses with two kites he made in protest against the Venezuelan government [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

Structural changes or cosmetic ones?

Under pressure from the US, the Rodriguez government began negotiations with certain opposition lawmakers, though critics argue some of the most prominent voices have not been included.

A first round of talks in August resulted in an agreement to overhaul the government-aligned Supreme Court (TSJ), housed in the Palace of Justice, where Chavez's portrait once hung from the facade.

But Perez, the political scientist, warns against mistaking the court's cosmetic changes for deeper institutional ones.

He pointed out that the chavista movement remains in power, and no new elections have been set.

“The iconography, the symbols have moved considerably faster than the institutional changes,” Perez said. “There’s still no electoral calendar.”

A second round of talks this month is expected to focus on the political, civil and electoral guarantees for such a vote.

But the perceived subservience of the Rodriguez government to the US might hasten the transformation of Venezuela's chavismo movement, according to Perez.

A portrait of Hugo Chavez formerly visible on the Palace of Justice in Caracas, Venezuela, has since been covered up [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]

He pointed to the August oil deal, which transfers a significant share of Venezuelan oil reserves to a US-controlled public-private partnership.

“Handing 65 billion barrels to a private operator on 100-year terms — or 25, depending on which government you ask — does more damage to chavismo as a political project than the removal of every mural in Caracas,” Perez said.

For a certain group of chavistas like Forastero, such a deal is a “very open surrender” to the US.

“They kidnap our president and then we negotiate with them? No," Forastero said, shaking his head in disgust.

Protecting the images he believes in is his way of taking a stand. From the small Caracas plaza, Forastero walked towards another mural he recently painted, of Chavez in his signature red beret.

“Chavez’s images are being removed all over the place. But I’ve never allowed it to happen here,” he said. “This square here, this is my bastion of resistance.”

委内瑞拉正在移除前社会主义领导人（如乌戈·查韦斯）的壁画和广告牌。这是否预示着变革，还是仅仅是品牌重塑？

维克托·罗德里格斯（绰号“福拉斯特罗”）为纪念已故委内瑞拉领导人乌戈·查韦斯的诞辰，绘制了一幅查韦斯的壁画。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

委内瑞拉加拉加斯——在加拉加斯市中心的一个小广场上，维克托·罗德里格斯驻足在一幅巨大的壁画前，壁画上是一个身披青绿色长袍的人物。他认为，正是这个人给了他成为艺术家的机会：前总统乌戈·查韦斯。

罗德里格斯以“福拉斯特罗”为笔名作画，他参与创作了为纪念已故委内瑞拉领导人查韦斯7月28日诞辰而创作的画作。他说，查韦斯为艺术和文化开辟了新的空间，为来自贫困社区的艺术家们提供了他们以前从未有过的机会。

但如今，福拉斯特罗感到沮丧。他担忧这类艺术的未来。

“查韦斯代表革命，他是反帝国主义的，”福拉斯特罗告诉半岛电视台，“但现在查韦斯的壁画正在消失。”

近几个月来，加拉加斯发生了翻天覆地的变化。查韦斯及其政治运动“查韦斯主义”相关人物的巨幅画像曾经随处可见。

但现在，涂鸦、壁画和广告牌正被涂抹或拆除。司法宫两侧曾分别悬挂着查韦斯和19世纪革命家西蒙·玻利瓦尔的双人画像，如今这两幅画像都已被遮盖。

取而代之的是新的蓝色横幅，上面印着“Venezuela renace”或“Venezuela reborn”的口号。

这些变化发生在委内瑞拉经历了近三十年的查韦斯主义统治后，该国正处于政治变革时期。

自美国于 1 月份发起军事行动绑架并监禁时任总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗以来，该国一直面临着重新构想其社会主义政府的巨大压力。

对一些委内瑞拉人来说，表面上的变化比实质性的变化来得更快。有些人甚至根本不想要任何改变。

福拉斯特罗认为，保留他的壁画是抵制美国对其政府影响的一种方式。“现在，画查韦斯就是一种抵抗，”他说。

维克托·罗德里格斯认为，为乌戈·查韦斯画像是对美国干预的一种“抵抗”行为。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

在加拉加斯的部分地区，墙壁和建筑物上仍然弥漫着新油漆的味道，新政府的座右铭“委内瑞拉复兴”就出现在那里。

政府住宅区和高速公路路边到处都贴满了亮蓝色和黄色的广告牌，宣传着这句口号。

“委内瑞拉复兴”运动始于6月24日该国遭受双重地震袭击后的几周内。至少有6500人丧生。

临时总统德尔西·罗德里格斯领导的政府因其对灾难的初期应对措施而受到严厉批评。随后，政府将重建工作置于其公共宣传的核心位置。

达拉斯北德克萨斯大学的政治学家奥兰多·佩雷斯认为，这种新的形象是罗德里格斯为建立与查韦斯主义不同的个人政治身份而做出的努力的一部分。

毕竟，直到今年一月，罗德里格斯还是马杜罗的副总统。而马杜罗本人则是查韦斯钦点的接班人。

佩雷斯说：“罗德里格斯要求人们根据委内瑞拉的重建情况来评判他，而不是根据革命渊源或历史。有趣的是，这一点存在争议。”

佩雷斯解释说，查韦斯的支持者们对于移除这些画像存在分歧。今年6月，委内瑞拉某州州长弗雷迪·贝尔纳尔批评了政府机构中更换查韦斯和马杜罗画像的做法。

但佩雷斯表示，这种内部紧张局势很大程度上早于“委内瑞拉复兴”运动。

佩雷斯告诉半岛电视台：“这场斗争关乎谁拥有查韦斯主义，谁拥有这场运动。”

自1999年以来，委内瑞拉一直由查韦斯及其继任者领导。但在近三十年的政治统治之后，查韦斯主义领导人现在面临着一个新的因素：一位试图控制委内瑞拉政府的美国领导人。

自马杜罗被绑架以来，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普利用其影响力敦促委内瑞拉进行经济改革，包括允许外国更多地进入该国的石油和采矿业。

他还控制了委内瑞拉的燃料出口，并在上个月达成了一项协议，使美国获得该国 650 亿桶石油储备的多数股权。

尽管发生了美国主导的动乱，但许多委内瑞拉人表示，他们的日常生活并没有发生太大变化。

临时总统德尔西·罗德里格斯领导的政府将最近的一项外联活动命名为“委内瑞拉重生”[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

变革还是品牌重塑？

哈维尔·埃尔南德斯是一位退休人员，每月仅领取相当于0.14美元的州养老金。他说，今年食品价格上涨，而且每天停电好几次。

但他乐见那些带有查韦斯主义色彩的形象消失。他希望随之而来的是政治和经济变革。

“这些查韦斯主义者给我们的国家带来的只有破坏、仇恨和罪恶。他们不配出现在任何人的视野中，”埃尔南德斯告诉半岛电视台。

然而，这些接替者让他感到不安。埃尔南德斯住在拉瓜伊拉，那里是六月地震中受灾最严重的地区。他的三个侄子侄女以及其他一些家人和朋友都在地震中丧生。

在一片狼藉之中，他注意到醒目的蓝色和黄色“委内瑞拉复兴”标志开始出现。

哈维尔·埃尔南德斯对查韦斯主义艺术的消失表示欢迎，但对替代它的艺术形式有所顾虑。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

“每当我看到或听到这句话，我都会感到愤怒，因为那些政客不住在这里，他们也没有像我们一样遭受地震的影响，”埃尔南德斯说。

“人们仍在搜寻遇难者遗体。他们仍在从废墟中抬出遇难者遗体。”

政府承诺重建拉瓜伊拉，这是委内瑞拉的主要旅游区之一，以其沙滩而闻名。

该组织还启动了“委内瑞拉复兴大使命”，承诺为流离失所者提供临时住所，在 2026 年底前提供新住房，并为受影响的家庭购房提供补贴。

但埃尔南德斯表示，拉瓜伊拉距离“重生”还很远。

“拉瓜伊拉现在很多人都失业了，因为当地主要的就业和经济活动都依赖于旅游业、酒店业、餐饮业和商业。我们这里的日子非常难过——真的非常难过，”他解释说。

在委内瑞拉各地的亲政府壁画中，乌戈·查韦斯的眼睛是一个常见的图案。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

查韦斯的“幽灵”

据《亡灵之国》一书的作者伊琳娜·特罗科尼斯（Irina Troconis）称，当委内瑞拉居民生活困苦时，政治意象往往会变得更加突出。该书讲述了查韦斯挥之不去的影响。

她解释说，这样的图像可以与实际情况形成一种反叙事。

特罗科尼斯说：“这些图像在某些时候被用来代表人们实际上根本没有经历的所谓变革。”

她指出，政府在 2022 年使用了“委内瑞拉已经恢复正常”之类的口号，试图在恶性通货膨胀和经济崩溃的情况下营造乐观情绪。

Troconis 还认为，查韦斯在公共艺术中的持久存在，使得他的影响力在他 2013 年去世后依然延续。

查韦斯主题图像的普遍存在，使得后来的领导人，例如马杜罗，不断地与这位已故总统的领导风格进行对话。特罗科尼斯认为，这也展现了一种从查韦斯到后来的延续性形象。

她说：“查韦斯仍然以某种幽灵般的形象担任总统，而马杜罗更像是这个幽灵的副总统。”

但她提醒说，委内瑞拉形象的变化可能并不意味着更深层次的政治变革。

特罗科尼斯说：“查韦斯主义在某些方面独树一帜，它能够通过重新包装的过程不断变异、适应和改变，而这个过程并不总是需要真正的内部、固有的改变。”

专家伊琳娜·特罗科尼斯认为，由于乌戈·查韦斯的画像随处可见，他在委内瑞拉已成为一个“幽灵般的人物”。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

查韦斯的画像依然悬挂在加拉加斯各处的墙壁上。其他人物的画像也一样，比如马杜罗和独立领袖西蒙·玻利瓦尔。有些画像已经褪色，有些则配有“怀疑即叛国”之类的标语。

福拉斯特罗曾参与过政府项目，包括在罗德里格斯执政期间。但他对一些新近创作的壁画持批评态度。他回忆起自己曾经创作过查韦斯与孩子们玩耍或骑自行车的壁画，而不是标语。

“查韦斯在世时，人们画他的画像，是因为我们非常爱戴他。就这么简单，”他说。

他认为，近几十年来，委内瑞拉的公共艺术越来越受到政府的控制，委托创作的壁画带有明显的政治信息。

“壁画是在墙上讲述故事，”福拉斯特罗说。“我们现在在墙上看到的却是宣传海报。我是一个查韦斯主义者，我对此感到厌恶。”

然而，在福拉斯特罗看来，移除这件艺术品是另一种形式的宣传。他认为罗德里格斯政府试图营造一种更加“中立”的形象，以更好地吸引美国。

他还指责罗德里格斯背弃了查韦斯主义运动的核心理念：反帝国主义和革命。他特别指出美国在塑造委内瑞拉政策方面所扮演的角色。

“美国正在迫使我们的政府采取这种行为，”福拉斯特罗说。

福拉斯特罗认为，移除乌戈·查韦斯壁画是委内瑞拉政府为了博取美国好感而采取的行动之一。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

委内瑞拉活动家拉斐尔·阿劳霍对这种变化的局面有不同的看法。

对他来说，看到查韦斯主义者的画像贴满城市墙壁，尤其是那些给国家带来巨大痛苦的领导人的画像，让他感到“很不舒服”。

查韦斯和马杜罗在执政期间都面临着侵犯人权的指控，包括通过暴力镇压异见人士。委内瑞拉最近两次总统选举都被广泛谴责为非法。

在加拉加斯被称为“帕帕加约先生”的阿劳霍，曾利用色彩鲜艳的手工风筝来抗议政府的暴力和经济政策。

他认为查韦斯的壁画是一种压迫形式，是政府压迫机器时刻可见的象征。

他的风筝传递着不同的信息。他最喜欢的风筝上飘扬着一个词：“自由”。

“自由是所有国家都需要的。民主是公民能够生活在其中的最平衡的制度，”阿劳霍说。

拉斐尔·阿劳霍与他制作的两只风筝合影，以此抗议委内瑞拉政府。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

是结构性改变还是表面修饰？

在美国的压力下，罗德里格斯政府开始与一些反对派议员进行谈判，但批评人士认为，一些最有影响力的人物并未被纳入谈判范围。

8 月的第一轮会谈达成协议，将对位于司法宫内的、与政府关系密切的最高法院 (TSJ) 进行全面改革，而查韦斯的画像曾经悬挂在司法宫的正面。

但政治学家佩雷斯警告说，不要将法院表面上的变化误认为是更深层次的制度性变化。

他指出，查韦斯主义运动仍然掌权，而且还没有安排新的选举。

佩雷斯说：“图像符号的演变速度远远超过了制度变革的速度。目前还没有选举日程。”

预计本月举行的第二轮会谈将重点讨论此类投票的政治、公民和选举保障。

但佩雷斯认为，罗德里格斯政府对美国的顺从态度可能会加速委内瑞拉查韦斯主义运动的转变。

委内瑞拉加拉加斯司法宫上曾经悬挂着乌戈·查韦斯的画像，但后来被遮盖住了。[凯瑟琳·埃利斯/半岛电视台]

他指出，8 月份达成的石油协议将委内瑞拉石油储备的很大一部分转移到了美国控制的公私合营企业。

佩雷斯说：“将 650 亿桶石油以 100 年（或 25 年，取决于你问哪个政府）的期限交给私人运营商，对查韦斯主义这一政治项目的损害，比清除加拉加斯的每一幅壁画还要大。”

对于像福拉斯特罗这样的某些查韦斯主义者来说，这样的协议是对美国的“公开投降”。

“他们绑架了我们的总统，然后我们还要和他们谈判？不可能，”福拉斯特罗厌恶地摇了摇头说道。

保护他所信仰的形象是他表明立场的方式。从加拉加斯的小广场，福拉斯特罗走向他最近创作的另一幅壁画，画中是戴着标志性红色贝雷帽的查韦斯。

“查韦斯的画像到处都被移除。但我绝不允许这种事发生在这里，”他说。“这个广场，是我的抵抗堡垒。”