[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ednesday sees the inauguration of Omar Castan?eda’s provocatively titled exhibition, Panela: The New Gold of Colombia, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Bogota (MAC). Curated by London-based art advisor Sandra Higgins and MAC’s in-house curator Juan David Quintero, the show runs until April 16 as part of the museum’s 50th anniversary program.
The event will host an eclectic range of visual explorations using various art mediums including silk screen prints, video installation, sculpture, photography, and painting.
Panela is pervasive in these works, both physically and symbolically. From a photograph of riot police and protesters sharing a cup of panela together during the large scale farmer protests of 2014, to a mini soldier figurine moulded into a brick of panela.
The art ponders associations to conflict but also to resolution, and the effect is simultaneously hopeful, politically stark and infectiously playful.
The artist’s statement describes the exhibition as “a collection of work which attempts to disentangle modern day complex narratives surrounding globalization and national identity,” narratives which often find themselves expressed through the complex social relationships tied to food.
The parallel between gold and panela exists because “they both exhibit that dual-functionality as a source of food and energy and as a source of power and wealth,” says curator Sandra Higgins.
Castañeda has been based in London for over 10 years, but has maintained strong ties to his home country, a fact which is strongly evident in his art.
Graduating from the Los Andes arts faculty in 2005, he subsequently moved to London to complete his Masters in fine arts at St. Martin’s Art College, and has been extremely active on the art scene, with a long list of exhibitions to his name including two Fin Del Mundo Biennials, in Chile and Argentina; Centro Cultural Borges in Buenos Aires, and the Colombian consulate in London.
His long-standing fascination with the subject of food and its sociopolitical relevance developed early in life. Since his days as an art student, he has confronted themes such as mass production of food, conflict and uninhibited consumption, amongst others.
His side project, Food of War, an art collective which explores the intricate relationship between art, food and conflict is currently developing an initiative around the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear crisis.
Castañeda recognises this fascination with food as rooted in his personal experience as a child growing up in Bogota?, where in his family home food was frequently both at the centre of family bonding, and an expression of strife. From an early age he became aware of the complex social, cultural and political dimensions to food.
“It was at that stage that I began to understand the role of food in my home. It was often a way to control and dominate. Like when my father told us we couldn’t eat something specific until we had finished such and such a task,” said Castañeda.
His graduate thesis, in fact, dealt with this very theme — food and power relationships in the family.
While recognizing that his art transmits a decidedly political message, Castañeda also expresses a respect for his work as a kind of autonomous entity.
“I believe my work is leading me on a path, but the journey has just begun. It is moving more and more in the direction of political commentary, and while for now it may be more political than I am, it is nonetheless carrying me with it.”
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá
Cra.74 No. 82A-81
