Starting from a superb pictorial reference in the novel 2666, this essay considers the presence, the origins, and the structural and semantic function of filmic, graphic, and photographic motifs which recur in the narratives of Roberto Bolaño. These devices, integrated into the narrative structure in the manner of fragments —showing a clear presence, but devoid of formal continuity— contribute to reinforce the mechanisms of the proliferation and replacement of texts which characterises the poetics of the novelist