Contemporary Art in Bogotá

Bogotá's art scene appears to be expanding, thanks at least in part to growing wealth and increasing tourism. And that was on display at the Contemporary Art Fair, which ended today.

Despite the fair's name, little of the art seemed really avant garde - which was a relief for me, since I can't make much of abstract art.

The Imaginart Gallery of Barcelona, Spain, had a display of heads. (The one on the left is art.)

One of the few pieces which seemed to deal with contemporary themes, but not in a very pretty way, was this one, by an Uruguayan artist, and which I was told portrayed a scene in the U.S. state of Georgia.

For anybody who doesn't know, Georgia has lots of poverty and is notorious for racism, altho Atlanta now also represents the 'New South.' In any case, if the photo was meant to parody stereotypes, to me it also emphasized them by showing these black and latino 'boyz in the hood.'Casa Cuadrada Gallery  

Perhaps ironically, the above was part of the display by the Casa Cuadrada Gallery, which emphasizes diversity. The gallery is located in Bogotá's traditionally gay Chapinero neighborhood, but its diversity refers to styles of art, one of its directors told me. But perhaps not always ethnic diversity.

I like this scene, of another Casa Cuadrada image, maybe because of its suggestion of Big Brother. Casa Cuadrada Gallery.

'I want to feed myself from art' - a cry by many artists. El Museo Gallery

The letters were formed from beadede images like this one.  El Museo Gallery 

The interior of the building itself, which I was told was once a theatre, later the office of CityTV and is now an arts foundation, looks artistic itself. The building is on Ave. Jimenez and Carrera 5. 

What's the point of these images of a man contemplating his reflections, in a display by El Museo Gallery?  

I've always liked realistic portraits which portray a person's personality, like this peasant woman. Galeria Mu. 

Galeria Mu, in La Macarena, was founded by a guy from California, and calls itself 'the first and only gallery in Colombia dedicated exclusively to showing fine art photography.' Perhaps others might dispute that claim.

These photos of shelves of books are by MaxStevenGrossman, who said he portrays 'things that are going away.' hopefully, that doesn't mean that books are disappearing. 

An aging roller derby competitor. The sport has a following in Colombia. 

The only display I saw about an ongoing news story was this one about the Libyan conflict. 

But which flag is it?

See also: A Flowering of Art in La Macarena.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours