Bye Bye Bogotà

Right now we are on our way back home to Sweden (this is a scheduled post). Visiting Colombia for the first time and meeting almost everyone in the big Colombian family has been something special. Counting Colombia I've been to 23 countries, but it's a big difference between just seeing a country as a tourist (from the outside) and seeing it (from the inside) with the help of those living there. 

This last month here in Colombia I've been thinking a lot about how I want to live my life, what I value most - and what I want with my art. Now I'm ready to start 2012!

more Oscar Muños

video; portrait (self portrait) drawing changing and disappearing as the water disappears from the sink. (I believe the drawing was made out of carbon powder)

Oscar Muños

It's not that often when visiting an exhibition that I feel happy, excited and "this is so good" - and all at the same time. But that's how I felt when I saw Oscar Muños' retrospective exhibition at Museo del Arte del Banco de la republica here in Bogotà! Oscar Muños is one of Colomia's most important contemporary artists and I felt an immediate connection with his art. Muños works with photography, video/video installations and objects with a strong tie to art history's long tradition of depicting as well as with the process of transformation, destruction and reconfiguration. His imagery is mostly based on portraiture (photography and drawing). There is both something elusive and something everlasting in his art. The concept of time seems to be essential. And the act of depicting and the concept of representing.

carbon in water

here you can see the border of the image above; the carbon is floating on water in a box. It's very elusive.

video; Muños is painting a portrait (self portrait I belive) over and over again. But as it is painted only with water on concrete it disappears as the water dries ... and he paints it again and again.

videoinstallation. can't really explain it. it has to been seen in real life. Great though!

Bogotà from the car

the outskirts of Bogotà; a typical roadside restaurant

another place for eating;  they are barbecuing big pieces of meat and corn

I grew up without a car and I don't have a car in Sweden nowadays either. I've never in my life spent as much time in a car as now in Bogotà. According to my Colombian family it's not safe to take photos on the street ... so I've been documenting the street life through the car window. (But you have to hide the camera when stopping for a red light or they might smash the window and steal your camera. They stole my mother in law's handbag that way...)

gold and ceramics

Museo del Oro, Bogotà; fantastic pre-colonial Indian art.

It's like I'm on "pause" - when the rest of the worlds is still turning. But I think my brain is secretly working on something.

death, torture and art

In Cartagena we paid a visit to el MUSEO HISTÓRICO DE CARTAGENA CASA DE LA INQUISICIÓN. It was the first time my six year old son became aware of human cruelty --... as we had to explain him the instruments of torture and what an execution was. And why (can it be explained?). The museum also exhibited some emerging artists who used the possibilities of the building in a great way.

Violeta Ospina, videoinstallation

Didn't get the name here unfortunately

Juan Raúl  Hoyos

Liliana Sanchèz

Happy new year - and tamale

A little late, but: Happy New Year!
2011 was great and I know 2012 will be even better! But I'm postponing the start of my new year two weeks until my return to Sweden... Mañana, you know.

Above a very Colombian dish; tamale (tamal in Colombia). (didn't like it very much though - too heavy for me)

further up in the mountains

(here everyone thinks he's a girl because of his long hair)

Still in Colombia. The other day we went further up the mountains outside Bogotà. The landscape looked very much like Switzerland and the weather was like a mild Swedish summer day in June. We are here a full month (two more weeks to go) and I had thought I would be able to work at least two hours a day - I brought the computer. 

But, No. 

I'm enjoying the time here and I'm telling myself there will be time for work in 2012. This also means that for now I will be posting mostly about Colombia and not that much about my art. I hope you find it as interesting as I do!

the village architecture didn't look much like Switzerland though.

Christmas eve: Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá

waterfall of crystalized salt representing the lake of Gennesaret (if I understood the guide right - I don't really speak Spanish)

On Christmas eve we visited the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. It is built in a salt mine 200 m under ground and supposed to be the world's biggest church under ground. Long tunnels and huge excavated church rooms were lit with strong changing colored lights - and a very different experience for me.

Cartagena, Colombia

Sunday night we returned to Bogotà from Cartagena after enjoying five days of leisure in tropical temperatures with both rain and sun. I didn't do much sketching ...  but I sat on the beach summing up 2011  and planning next year. Among other things I'll teach an e-course in Art as Business -  about defining your Master Plan to reach your goals as an artist or illustrator and getting the tools to do do. A Christmas gift for someone you know - or yourself, maybe? (Soon I'll post all the information about it.)

Bogotà, Colombia

After two days in Bogotà adjusting to the hight (Bogotà is situated at 2 600 m above sea level) and not being online I'm starting to feel like myself again. Tomorrow we are going to Cartagena and I'm not bringing the computer .... so no blogging until next week, but then I hope to be back with some interesting sketches and photos.