FIRST LESSON (BILLBOARDS)
Gallery 5. Powers
Photo credits: Reproduced with permission of
Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá – MAMBO
Click on the image to enlarge
Bernardo Salcedo
1939
Screen printing, duco and letraset / wood
450 x 270.3 cm
The work portrays the serious amputations suffered by the homeland, beginning with alterations to the national coat of arms. Salcedo crosses out what he sees as mutilated: starting with the disappearance of the condor and the concept of abundance—referring to deforestation and the expansion of agriculture into Andean forests and páramos. He then illustrates the lack of freedom and the loss of the Panama Canal, alluding to the effects of globalisation. The piece ends with the complete disappearance of the homeland and the coat of arms. This sharp critique directly engages with Articles 1 and 8 of the Constitution, which define Colombia as a sovereign state founded on diversity, freedom, and human dignity—principles which seem to be under constant threat.
