The image of the river and the action of weaving converge metaphorically and literally throughout contemporary artistic practices in Colombia. Taking the river as a conceptual axis to explore the intersections between design, craft, and art, Waterweavers investigates the ways in which culture and nature can intertwine.

As part of the ARCO 2015 fair, the Conde Duque center in Madrid serves as the backdrop for a series of installations that arise from a curatorial strategy by José Roca with Alejandro Martín. In each space, this strategy seeks to contrast immersive pieces on the walls with three-dimensional pieces arranged in the interior. Waterweavers includes everything from drawings, ceramics, graphic design, furniture, and textiles to video and installations, where the juxtaposition of elements aims to generate a critical and conceptual friction between works and practices that are very rarely exhibited together.

Colombia's complex topography has meant that, throughout history, its waterways have been the only means of transportation for many of its communities. Today, even though the majority of the Colombian population lives in cities, rivers remain the only way to access certain remote areas. On the other hand, it is important to note how rivers also play another role and serve as an axis for another type of economy: the black market (of weapons, money, drugs, etc.) that fuels the armed conflict that has plagued this country for decades. Waterweavers addresses these issues from very different points of view: it confronts us with a territory in conflict and presents the creative production that develops in the midst of adversity, or perhaps even as a response to it.

Color Amazonia is the result of seven years of ethnobotanical research on natural pigments in the Colombian Amazon, carried out by an interdisciplinary team led by artist Susana Mejía. The installation is composed of papers and fibers dyed with natural pigments and monotypes made directly from plants. The dyed fique fibers hang from the ceiling, imitating the way they were left to dry in the jungle. Color Amazonia presents the theme of the environment in the Amazon River area, particularly the plants that grow on its banks and the natural fibers and pigments used by the communities that inhabit the region.

Curated by: José Roca and Alejandro Martín

Artists: Olga de Amaral, Ceci Arango, Alberto Baraya, Monika Bravo, Alvaro Catalán de Ocón, David Consuegra, Nicolás Consuegra, Clemencia Echeverri, Juan Fernando Herrán, Jorge Lizarazo, Susana Mejía, Abel Rodríguez, María Isabel Rueda, Lucy Salamanca, Tangrama, Marcelo Villegas, Carol Young.