New Colombian exhibition at the IDB, Washington
"The Marvelous Real: Colombia through the Eyes of its Artists," the new exhibition at the Cultural Center of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), curated by Felix Angel, is a visual route that, through sampling, explores the evolution of art in Colombia from Pre-Hispanic times through the artworks of several of its most important artists.
Colombia's rise among middle-income countries in recent years, thanks to sustained economic growth, is reflected as we see Colombian artists succeeding worldwide.
The exhibition artworks were selected and classified according to the different periods in which the artists worked around the concept of the Marvelous Real. As for this concept, coined by the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier, refers to the fact that the history and geography of Latin America are both so extreme as to appear fictional or even magical to outsiders, hence the title of the exhibition.
The visual journey begins with pre-Columbian replicas, continuing with the reinvention of the territory from the 15th to 19th centuries, followed by works from the 20th century, and samples from the 1950s and Modern art, the social transformations of the 1960s, and the decentralization of contemporary art in the 1970s, and concludes with works of the end of the century.
According to Iván Duque, Chief of the Cultural, Solidary, and Creative Affairs Division "Those who come to the exhibition will have the opportunity to feel the magic extremes and enjoy this creative nation through a combination of art, history, image, feeling, experience and commitment to the future."
The exhibit features 36 pieces of the IDB’s Art Collection, made by 24 Colombian artists, amongst whom are Edgar Negret, Fanny Sanín, Enrique Grau, David Manzur and Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar.
The exposition will be open until September 27, 2013.
