The New Face of Colombia: Nine Minutes with Curator Sandra Higgins
A new exhibition exploring exciting voices in Colombian art launched yesterday at Art Bermondsey Project Space.
The New Face of Colombian Art (La Cara Nueva De Columbia) takes change as its theme and is a microcosm of the radical political, social and cultural change that is happening in Colombia at the moment. The exhibition is given added potency and context following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Santos, highlighting his commitment to ending a 50 year civil war in the country.
All featured artists have interpreted 'change' differently, and based on their varying experiences, which makes for a rich cultural mix in an exhibition that couldn't be more timely.
After Nyne's Editor Claire Meadows met curator Sandra Higgins to find out about her inspirations, how Colombia's history feeds into the show and what issues she faced in bringing The New Face of Colombian Art to fruition.
What was the spark of inspiration behind the new exhibition?
My spark of inspiration came from visiting Colombia four years ago for the first time with the Colombian/British artist Ofelia Rodriguez who I had exhibited at my gallery Sandra Higgins Fine Arts which I had then in Mayfair in the early 1990’s. I have travelled throughout Colombia since then spending more and more time there visiting artists in many regions of the country. I simply fell in love with the ‘magic realism’ of the artwork being produced in Colombia, the sophisticated art capital of Bogota and of course the amazingly beautiful landscape. These experiences inspired me to create THE NEW FACE OF COLOMBIA in order to illustrate the changes the country has gone through artistically, socially and politically.
How have you been able to find a balance between the personal and political in this show?
I think this show is very personal on the one hand as I have been selective in who I am exhibiting and what their message is as I wanted it to be a very positive show looking towards the future and not ignoring but at the same time not dwelling on the past and the troubles. So, I suppose it is somewhat political in that it promotes the idea of peace in Colombia as the only solution for the country to prosper and for the people to live in harmony at last. It will not be an easy peace or transition but it is an essential peace.
How has Colombia’s turbulent history affected its relationship towards art?
Many artists have focussed on the troubles and the conflict has produced many videos, installations such as Doris Saucedo and photographic exhibitions such as that of Erika Diettes which portray the anguish experienced by so many of the people for over 50 years. But one documentary we have in the exhibition Chocolate of Peace by Gwen Burnyeat looks at how the community of San Jose de Apartado overcame their past through developing organic chocolate production which is in fact exported to LUSH shops throughout the UK now. Many current artists no longer graphically portray the troubles but produce works which are abstract and international just as in any international city….so I think the art of Colombia today has moved away from depicting the conflict unless as in metaphors which Omar Castaneda uses in his Panela the New Gold installation at our exhibition. It traces the production and consumption of Panela (sugar cane) from the days of the Spanish conquest to today.
How did you select the artists for this show?
As I said, I met many of the artists when I travelled in Colombia, however, they are not all Colombia several are British but have lived in Colombia as I did myself. This is a link between the UK and Colombia at the time of the State Visit of President Juan Manuel Santos who has just received the Nobel Prize as you must be aware.
What fascinates you about Colombia?
Well, I think I covered that earlier in my response but what I didn’t say is that the thing that fascinates me the most are the people who in spite of what they have gone through over the past 50 years are some the happiest and most friendly people I have ever met. They have a resilience and passionate spirit which is contagious. There is an old slogan that the only risk in Colombia is wanting to stay.
Explain the layout of the show - is there a narrative behind the arrangement?
We have the entire Art Bermondsey Project Space Gallery over three floors:
The main floor is dedicated to the installation by Omar Castaneda, Colombian/British Artist, titled Panela the Golden Age, Omar creates all of his works using Panela and gold. He screen prints, paints and sculpts with these materials which to him symbolise Colombia.
The ground floor has an installation by Maria Cardenas, Colombian currently living in Belfast, titled La Guayaberas de Paz ( the linen shirts worn by Latin Americans for ceremonial occasions which President Santos does and Maria will present him with one when he visits Northern Ireland on the 4th of Nov.)
Also on the ground floor is a screening room where we will have 10 video documentaries, organised for us by the filmmaker Lorena Cervera, showing regularly which portray all aspects of Colombian life and also Colombian social programmes of two charities the Santa Maria Foundation and Children Changing Colombia.
On the top floor we will feature photographs by the British photographer Piers Calvert of contemporary indigenous people who still paint their bodies in traditional ways with organic materials as well as photos of the MUZO vallery emerald miners. MUZO are the main sponsors of our exhibition.
The narrative behind the arrangement is merely as I said before to show as much of Colombia art and culture as we can to the London audience.
What can the uninitiated expect from this show?
I hope the visitors well leave with a new perspective about Colombia and the the usual narcotic and murder capital of Latin America am image and reputation it does not deserve. They will literally smell and eat the Panela, experience the beauty of the landscape through videos, the social change happening with charities and programmes of education, the artisan crafts of the Guayaberas and I really hope the positive image of a Colombia everyone should visit themselves. I want this exhibition to give out the message that Colombia is one of the most beautiful and progressive countries of Latin America.
What issues have you faced in curating this exhibition?
The biggest issue I have experienced is funding this exhibition which is more than just an art show and more a social statement….but luckily MUZO has been generous enough to see our purpose and help us out.
THE NEW FACE OF COLOMBIA (LA CARA NUEVA DE COLOMBIA)
1 - 19 November 2016
Art Bermondsey Project Space | 183 - 185 Bermondsey Street | London | SE1 3UW www.project-space.london
