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Virtual course: Débora Arango and the transgression of Colombian art

This virtual course offers a detailed journey through the life and work of Débora Arango, one of Colombia’s most influential artists, whose production defied the moral and aesthetic norms of her time. Her work, characterized by the raw and uncensored representation of the female body, social criticism, and the denunciation of political injustices, made her a symbol of rebellion.

Throughout the program, the main stages of her artistic career will be addressed, from her early years of training at the Instituto de Bellas Artes de Medellín to her international projection in countries such as Mexico, Spain, and England. The influences that shaped her style will also be explored, such as European Expressionism and Mexican Muralism, along with the tensions generated by her criticism of religious and political power structures.

The course will highlight her contribution to opening spaces for women artists and her relevance in the contemporary debate on freedom of expression and women’s rights. Sessions will combine masterclasses, visual analysis, and group discussions to foster a critical and reflective approach.

Recommended audience

Students, researchers, teachers, and people interested in the history of Colombian art and the work of Latin American artists.

About Sara Fernández

Doctor of Philosophy from Universidad de Antioquia. Historian with a master’s degree in Art History. She was a postdoctoral researcher between 2022 and 2024 at the Faculty of Philosophy of Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina). She is a member of the research group Theory, Practice, and History of Art in Colombia at Universidad de Antioquia and of the Global Art Archive at Universitat de Barcelona, directed by Anna María Guasch. She is also a member of the Colombian Committee of Art Historians. She teaches in the Master’s in Art History program and undergraduate programs at Universidad de Antioquia, as well as in the History program at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Her interests lie in the areas of art historiography; philosophy of art and history; contemporary art in Colombia; the possibilities of semiotics applied to the specific field of art; and the interactions between history, art, and philosophy. Among her publications, the following books stand out: Historia y arte, una propuesta metodológica desarrollada en Débora Arango y sus obras sobre el período de la Violencia (2016) and Conceptos generales en las historias del arte colombiano: historia, arte y nación, 1959-1985 (2022); author of “Arte, memoria e historia en la obra de Jorge Marín” (2023); “Reiteraciones de sentido: indexicalidad y memoria histórica en el arte contemporáneo en Colombia” (2023); “Arte precario: la posibilidad de pensar la experiencia deficitaria del mundo contemporáneo” (2023); “Gestos de archivo como acciones políticas en y desde el arte” (2024); “Aproximación al uso de estrategias del Barroco en el arte contemporáneo latinoamericano” (2024); “Aprovechando las lecciones de los antepasados indígenas: el caso de los Bachués” (2024); “Aproximación a los usos prehispánicos en el arte contemporáneo latinoamericano” (2024); “Entre archivos digitales y gestos archivísticos: apuestas políticas desde la estética contemporánea” (2024); among others.