Universidad Pedaggica Nacional

Facultad de Bellas Artes

Licenciatura en Artes Visuales
Ingls II
Karen Alexandra Rivera Ordoez
Cd.: 2014172035

ATOPA. MIGRATION, LEGACY AND

ABSENCE OF PLACE.
-Deseo realizar esta travesa y encontrarmeThe MAMBO has an exposition called Atopa, Migracin, legado y ausencia de lugar,
which it belongs to Collection Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contempotary (TBA21). The
MAMBO or Modern art museum of Bogot is located at street 24 No. 6-00, near to
National Library. The MAMBOs mission is to investigate, to stimulate, to disseminate,
to promote, to protect and promoting the interest by all the artistic expressions, modern
and contemporary in Colombia.
Atopia means no place, out of place and it refers to anything hard to classify. The
absence of place, referenced by Atopa is related with geographical displacements,
migration, national frontiers and therefore the social and cultural exchange in the
communities who suffer these phenomena. The artists who participate in the exposition
address the issue through their artworks and these manifestations express their
understanding of this kind of phenomena in their countries.
I felt identified with the topic because our country is an example of this kind of
situations in which the violence, drugs, the ignorance about native communities, the
poverty, etc., are the main problems and their effects are reflected in our non-affiliation
with an specific place. In other words, the affiliation to a specific place is processes
which constitute the identity. Consequently, the absences of place give rise to a
constantly changing of our filiations, beliefs and perception of our identity. For
example, if anyone asks us our filiations and our beliefs about colombianidad the
place isnt named because the displacements and the situations of violence have created
the awareness on the secondary importance of the place, our main concern is to survive.
I liked two works. To begin, the artwork of Rivane Neuenschwander called I wish your
wish. Rivane is a brazilian artist and she took the topic from a religious ritual in the
cathedral Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Baha. In this practice, the people take a ribbon
which has the size of Jesuss arm and they make three knots and ask three wishes. If the
ribbon release, the wishes have become true.
In the Rivanes work, we had to write a wish in a piece of paper and introduce it in a
hole in the wall. Then, we took a ribbon with the wish of someone else and we made
three knots by every new wish.

With our wishes, Rivane is going to create another ribbon. In a new exposition,
someone else will take our wish and will make the same procedure.

I recommend Atopa because its topic talks about our national situation. To put in
another way, Atopa let us wonder about the main causes and the effects of the
displacements. Besides, its important to our career visiting this kind of expositions to
know the topic that concern to the artists and have another point of view of the global
situations.

http://www.mambogota.com/web/interna-actividad.php?cod=bGVvbmlkPTcxbGVvbg==