From Colombia to the Big Apple: 'Circle of Words', the exhibition opened by a national artist in New York

Casey Kaplan, one of the most important galleries in New York, is currently hosting an art show made in Colombia; it is the exhibition 'Circle of Words', which was developed in Bogotá by the artist Mateo López, being the first collaboration he has done with a national clothing firm dedicated to make it in a sustainable way.

The focus of the house shows that this exhibition is made up of Colombian landscapes, as well as its recent stories and those that are kept in memory for generations. Materials from regions such as the Amazon and the Andean are gathered in this process that was combined with the Plan Basic brand, to, in this way, launch 'Clothing I Live', taking this initiative to stages beyond the galleries.

The final exhibitions are placed on a round table, thus forming a sequence of objects, recreating an ancestral practice in which spectators gather in a row to contemplate the exhibits; all this in a maloca, home where the peoples of the Colombian Amazon inhabit.

According to the author, through knowledge of ancestral stories, wisdom is obtained from the role of observer, which transcends through the symbiosis generated in the process. On this, he also explains that since he lived in Colombia, this has been the closest approach he has had with the indigenous peoples.

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“The Amazonian indigenous communities say that things speak or call you, what anthropology defines as Animism. Broadly speaking, these ideas about animism and indigenous Amazonian cosmologies say that objects, plants, for medicinal or ceremonial use and animals can be inhabited, are states of transition in which one can enter and leave,” López explained, also stating that this region abounds with a true identity.

On the other hand, another highlight of 'Clothes I Live' is that it combines artistic representations with nature; this is because of the work done with the Tikuna people, which led López to dedicate himself to carrying out a deep work of research and relationship with the environment, as well as with its species. In this regard, and in order to justify this collaboration with the sustainable firm, the investigations focused on the raw materials, rituals and the manufacturing techniques used.

For Vicky Rodríguez, the collaboration with the artist from Bogota was a very important event in this task of resignifying the tasks done by indigenous communities, which, on many occasions, are not well valued.

“This collaboration has been a privilege for us to serve as a canvas for an artist like Mateo López whom we admire a lot; in the same way it allows us to highlight our creative process as a brand, which from sustainability is done in reverse,” said Rodríguez, also specifying that his sustainable design proposal is concentrates on organic and recovered cotton and fabrics made from bottle recycling.

Finally, this exhibition, in which spectators will be able to see how the flag representing the communities of the Andes is overlaid with hand-painted wooden blocks, thus forming a pyramid that symbolizes the ancient architecture of Central America, will be open until April 30 and admission will be free and free.

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