Combatants

Photo credits: Ana Patricia Palacio
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Ana Patricia Palacios

2012- 2015
Mixed on canvas
273 x 230 cm

Fifteen panels with vibrant colours and chequered backgrounds, arranged in three rows, provide the setting for portraits of children alongside animals, structures, decorative motifs, and plants. The multicoloured and dynamic composition evokes childhood play and joy; however, the artist depicts young combatants involved in global conflicts throughout history as anonymous and innocent figures. In a stark contrast between childhood and warfare, the piece questions war, child recruitment, violence, and the right of minors to the free development of personality, as enshrined in Article 16 of the Constitution and analysed in rulings C-541 of 2017 and C-340 of 1998.