Latest News

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

By Richard Emblin - March 2, 2026

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 Sánchez, the ridges that surround the Colombian capital’s cardinal points are also more intimate: a constant presence, a point of […]

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

By Richard Emblin - February 16, 2026

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 time, the work of Colombian master Fernando Botero makes his Singapore debut with the largest exhibition of his work ever showcased in Asia. Spanning galleries, inter-active theatres and extensive public […]

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

By Richard Emblin - January 29, 2026

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 deep-rooted expressions that shape a community’s history. Colombia en un Aliento 2026 (Colombia in a Breath 2026) invites audiences on a sonic journey through the country’s wind instruments, encouraging reflection […]

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)

By Richard Emblin - January 15, 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, public mourning and social inequality – while also reshaping the country’s most important public art collection – died on Jan. 9, 2026, at her home in Bogotá. She was 93. […]

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

By Richard Emblin - December 17, 2025

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 over the presence of María Corina Machado, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the most prominent figure in Venezuela’s democratic opposition, has exposed a paradox at the heart of […]

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”

By The City Paper Staff - December 12, 2025

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 of the most ambitious exhibitions in its history. Inspirar, conmover y convocar: el Museo de la nación (1823–2023) opens this week in Bogotá, inviting visitors to reflect on 200 years […]

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

By The City Paper Staff - November 26, 2025

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 family shows. The announcement reinforces the theatre’s role as one of Bogotá’s leading cultural institutions, bringing national and international artists to audiences across the capital. A highlight of the year […]

Pictograms in the Chiribiquete National Park.

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

By Richard Emblin - November 20, 2025

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 mesas, lies one of the world’s most astonishing open-air galleries of human existence. The Serranía de La Lindosa, in the department of Guaviare, is a monumental tableau carved by nature […]

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

By The City Paper Staff - November 8, 2025

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 landscape and signaled the arrival of a new cultural tradition. The grand finale, held at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, unfolded as both a celebration of virtuosity and […]

Bogotá Opens First International Violin Competition With Latin American Celebration

By The City Paper Staff - October 30, 2025

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, an ambitious event that aims to position the Colombian capital on the global map of classical music. Organized by the Mayor’s Office through the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation and Sport, […]

Bogotá’s ARTBO 2025 Weaves a Citywide Celebration of Culture

By Richard Emblin - September 23, 2025

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 a tribute to Beatriz González, the fair blends global names with emerging voices, curatorial projects, publishing, and guided tours for all audiences.

Bogotá Set to Host First Art Biennale with BOG25

By Richard Emblin - September 19, 2025

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 across 25 venues, and Mexico City as guest of honour, spotlighting art, urbanism and central theme of “happiness”.

Bogotá’s International Sacred Music Festival Returns with Four Weeks of ‘Glory’

By Richard Emblin - September 4, 2025

Bogotá will host the 14th International Sacred Music Festival from September 10 to October 5, featuring 750 artists from 16 countries in 40 concerts, lectures, and workshops. Centered on the theme “La Gloria,” the festival spans 20 venues, with Verdi’s Nabucco opening and Brahms’s German Requiem closing.

Bogotá Strikes a Chord with Bach 340 Festival

By The City Paper Staff - August 27, 2025

Bogotá launches the first edition of Bogotá Concertante – Bach 340 (27–31 August 2025), a festival with 20 concerts, workshops and masterclasses across libraries, museums and theaters. Most events are free, celebrating Bach’s legacy and Colombia’s independent classical ensembles.

Juan Manuel Echavarría and the Haunting Silence of Memory

By Richard Emblin - July 25, 2025

In a powerful Bogotá exhibition, Colombian artist Juan Manuel Echavarría brings the country’s hidden war into view — through abandoned schoolrooms, war-scarred voices, and the quiet gaze of witness.

“Liturgies of the Body: The Collector’s Gaze” at Bogotá’s Casa Republicana

By Richard Emblin - June 19, 2025

The exhibition titled Liturgies of the Body: The Collector’s Gaze opens at Bogotá’s Casa Republicana, showcasing works from the Proyecto Bachué. Spanning 1960–1980, the private collection explores how the human body reflects power, trauma, and identity through experimental visual art.