The Galería Sextante in Bogotá recently inaugurated the exhibition SELVA ADENTRO by artist Arturo Denárvaez. Born in Bogotá in 1952, Denárvaez’s artistic journey began in Paris, where he honed his skills in painting. Over the years, his career has taken him across Europe, North America, South America, and Tunisia, with his works exhibited in various prestigious galleries and collections worldwide.
Denárvaez’s deep connection with his homeland brought him back to Colombia in 2015, where he has since resided and worked in the historic neighborhood of La Candelaria. His artistic practice has been characterized by a profound engagement with social and political issues, often reflecting on the human condition and the societal challenges of our time.
SELVA ADENTRO, the latest exhibition by Denárvaez, is a powerful continuation of a series of large-format paintings that he began during the pandemic in Colombia. The artist uses this series to confront and exorcize the violence, impunity, and collective indifference that he perceives in the face of horror, pain, and disappearance. The initial works in this series, titled Nomen Nescio (NN), were dominated by a stark black-and-white palette, creating a solemn and cold aesthetic that spoke to absence, emptiness, and the intangible presence of what once was.
In SELVA ADENTRO, however, Denárvaez transitions into the use of vivid colors, particularly bright reds. This shift in the chromatic palette is symbolic, evoking human skin, vegetation, bark, intertwined limbs, and organic forms. The visual elements in the exhibition suggest a connection to the natural world, with branches, lianas, and knots that are not just artistic representations but also metaphors for life, persistence, and the complexities of existence.
The title of the exhibition – Inside the Jungle – encapsulates the essence of this large-format series, and the exploration of the inner landscapes of the human experience. Through this work, Denárvaez invites the viewer to witness the remnants of what was, what is, and what will be, creating deeply immersive visual narratives.
The inauguration was a warm and intimate event, attended by friends and family of the artist. Their presence added a personal and emotional dimension to the occasion, underscoring the close connections that have influenced Denárvaez’s artistic journey.
