Culture

Marina Sánchez paints Bogotá’s Cerros in luminous colour at Museo del Chicó

In Bogotá, the mountains are never out of sight. They rise abruptly along the city’s eastern edge, forming a green wall that shapes the capital’s light, weather and sense of place. For Colombian artist Marina…

RICHARD EMBLIN March 2, 2026

Over 130 original paintings and sculptures by Colombia's Fernando Botero are on display in Singapore. Photo: Courtesy: Gardens by the Bay.

Fernando Botero Takes on Singapore with Landmark Exhibition

Singapore has never been shy about scale. But this season, the city’s appetite for monumentality takes on a distinctly Latin American accent. For the first…

RICHARD EMBLIN February 16, 2026

A pre-Columbian flute is one of many artifacts in the exhibition Colombia: En un aliento. Photo courtesy: Banco de la República.

Colombia in a Breath: Wind Instruments That Tell the Story of a Nation

Musical instruments are far more than tools for producing sound: they embody the cultural identity of a territory, carrying spiritual meanings, collective memory, and the…

RICHARD EMBLIN January 29, 2026

Beatriz González, one of Latin America’s most influential contemporary artists, died Jan. 9 at her home in Bogotá at 93. Photo: Hernán Díaz/Colección de Arte. Banco de la República.

Beatriz González: The Artist of Colombia’s Political Memory (1932-2026)

Beatriz González, one of Latin America’s most influential contemporary artists, whose boldly colored, deliberately unrefined paintings and installations confronted Colombia’s long history of political violence,…

RICHARD EMBLIN January 15, 2026

Stain on Hay: Should María Corina Machado Refuse the Literary Festival?

For a literary festival, silence can be more revealing than speech. The decision by three writers to withdraw from the 2026 Hay Festival in Cartagena…

RICHARD EMBLIN December 17, 2025

A Spanish Royalist flag of the Extremadura Batallion recovered by Republican troops. Photo: Richard Emblin

Colombia’s National Museum Marks 200 Years with “Inspire, Move, Convoke”

Two centuries after its founding in the turbulent aftermath of the Wars of Independence, the National Museum of Colombia is marking its bicentenary with one…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF December 12, 2025

Paradisum by Recirquel explores the myth of rebirth following the silence of a destroyed world. Photo: Bálint Hirling/Teatro Mayor

Bogotá’s Teatro Mayor Presents 2026 Season, Germany Guest Nation

The Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo has unveiled its 2026 programme, outlining 116 productions and 178 performances across opera, dance, theatre, music, circus and…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF November 26, 2025

Pictograms in the Chiribiquete National Park.

Lines on Stone: The Millennial Rock Art of the La Lindosa Range

At the eastern fringes of the Andes, where the Orinoco River Basin unfurls in an ondulating canvas of green, punctuated by majestic rivers and sandstone…

RICHARD EMBLIN November 20, 2025

China’s Ruifeng Lin Wins Bogotá’s First International Violin Competition

Bogotá brought its inaugural International Violin Competition to a rousing close on Saturday night, capping a week of performances that reshaped the city’s classical music…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF November 8, 2025

Bogotá Opens First International Violin Competition With Latin American Celebration

Bogotá is preparing for a milestone in its cultural calendar as it inaugurates the first edition of the Bogotá International Violin Competition on October 30,…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF October 30, 2025

Bogotá’s ARTBO 2025 Weaves a Citywide Celebration of Culture

Bogotá readies for ARTBO 2025, the city’s premier international art fair, running 25–28 September at Ágora Bogotá. Featuring 49 galleries, more than 170 artists, and…

RICHARD EMBLIN September 23, 2025

Bogotá Set to Host First Art Biennale with BOG25

Bogotá launches its first International Art and City Biennale, BOG25, on September 20. The 51-day free event features over 200 artists from 12 countries, installations…

RICHARD EMBLIN September 19, 2025