From 28 de September 2016 al 20 de November del 2016
Relive the experience
Herrán proposes a reconsideration of the logic of the monument as a counterpoint to the processes that emphasize and endorse the idea of the national hero, or the leader, as the architect and protagonist of history. The absence of the statue itself questions the validity of such spaces as sites of recognition, as well as their entry into history from the perspective of power and triumph. The devoid monuments seem to suggest that these heroes do not actually exist or that their construction is illusory.
“Tutelary Echoes,” a single-channel video accompanying the sculptures, presents a historical review that reconstructs fragments of the sculptures’ possible journey to Bogotá and the inauguration events through animations based on historical photographs. Likewise, the narrative incorporates segments from the government’s Bicentennial campaigns and archival footage to trace and question the recurrence and the persistent need of the nation’s leaders to evoke the hero and his actions as the foundation of our identity. A Thousand Heroes and Guardian Echoes examine how the idea of the Colombian nation has been constructed over the last two centuries, based on the figure of the hero. The combination of these two works ultimately suggests a contemporary reflection on the rhetoric of power through the figure of the commemorative statue, reminding us that representation—and art itself—are spaces of power that must be considered from a critical perspective.
Special thanks to: Pinturas Tito Pabón