Increase font size
Decrease font size
Increase Spacing
Decrease Spacing
Grayscale
Contrast
Dyslexia Font
Enlarge Cursor
Highlight Links
Reset
Relay Center

Encuentra lo que necesitas en segundos. Explora, descubre y obtén respuestas rápidas. ¡Comienza tu búsqueda ahora!

Calendario Académico

SIMCA

Programa LVMEN

PSI

GOU PAGOS

Home New and Updates

With the Unicauca footprint: six artists from our Alma Mater engage in dialogue w...

With the Unicauca footprint: six artists from our Alma Mater engage in dialogue with Botero’s works

Talent from Unicauca was selected to engage in dialogue with the work of Fernando Botero in “Counterpoints: Botero and Six Contemporary Artists from Cauca,” an exhibition that reflects on the connection between territory and culture in southwestern Colombia.

The exhibition, which will be open from December 18, 2024, to June 1, 2025, at the Guillermo León Valencia House Museum in Popayán, is structured around four thematic counterpoints: the body, festivities, the sacred, and not-so-still natures, turning the capital of our department into a stage for a profound reflection on art.

The exhibition “Counterpoints: Botero and Six Contemporary Artists from Cauca”, organized by the National Museum of Colombia and the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge, arrives in Popayán with a contemporary perspective, as it proposes a creative dialogue between the works of master Fernando Botero and the talent of six Unicaucano artists: Julieth Morales, Leidy Chávez, Alex Rodríguez, Richard Bravo, William Bahos, and Miller Ordoñez, who, through their artistic practices, explore the complex relationships of southwestern Colombia and the customs that shape it.

In this way, the work of Fernando Botero (Medellín, 1932 – Monaco, 2023) explores corporeality and volume, capturing a unique perspective of our country’s reality and revealing the complexities of identity and culture through the exaggeration of forms that define our territory. Therefore, the exhibition, featuring seven works by Botero from the collection of the National Museum of Colombia, along with those of the participating artists, is structured around four thematic counterpoints: the body, festivities, the sacred, and not-so-still natures, making Popayán the setting for a deep reflection on territory, culture, and the interaction between human beings and their environment.

It is important to highlight that the exhibition is the result of a coordinated effort led by Alexandra Collazos, director of the Guillermo León Valencia House Museum, who proudly expressed: “This is an initiative I had been requesting for four years from the National Museum through its Traveling Exhibitions Program. I really wanted the House Museum to provide an opportunity for the people of Cauca and Popayán to enjoy the works of master Botero. That is why we also wanted to create an encounter, a dialogue with artists from Cauca.”

In this regard, the National Museum of Colombia and the Ministry of Culture invited Professor Jim Luis Fannkugen Salas of our University, an acclaimed cultural manager, to lead the curatorship of this exhibition. His outstanding career, especially as the promoter of Para verte mejor, the oldest video art exhibition in the country, made him more than deserving of this invitation, since for 17 years this initiative has fostered dialogue between art and technology from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Cauca. Thus, the curatorship of the exhibition has been developed jointly by Professor Fannkugen and Cristian Padilla, a national expert on Botero’s work and recognized as a young talent. Together, they have designed a curatorial script that connects the pictorial works of master Botero with contemporary pieces by Unicaucano artists, creating a unique exhibition that should not be missed.

“For me, it is very important to show how, within academia, many of these artists were once students, now graduates, and some even colleagues, as they have joined academic processes within the same faculty. Presenting them from another perspective, not as students, not as alumni, but as colleagues, as artists who are presenting a proposal, is truly meaningful. Establishing these dialogues is essential, creating bridges between what could be considered national or international art, let us think of that in relation to Botero’s work, and the art produced here in the region. That, to me, was the most important part: weaving those bridges or, as the exhibition’s title suggests, creating those counterpoints,” expressed Professor Fannkugen with emotion.

From this regional house of thought, deeply committed to confronting war through art, we are proud to have such distinguished Unicaucano alumni who, throughout their careers, have carried the name of the University of Cauca to numerous national and international stages. Seeing them return alongside the works of a master like Botero certainly fills us with satisfaction. And given that this is a highly engaging initiative with an unprecedented theme, we extend an invitation to our community and the general public to enjoy this exhibition, an exhibition that, undoubtedly, offers an opportunity to celebrate art in its various expressions, promote local talent, and build bridges between the past and present of Colombian art.

We hope, then, that during this holiday season, visiting the Guillermo León Valencia House Museum, located at Calle 5 #9-82, becomes a must-do plan!