Germán Botero
Curated by Viviana Mejía

In the imbrication of the raw essence of nature and art, wood emerges as a profound means of expression, embodying both the resistance of consecrated craftsmanship and material transformation.

Germán Botero, a masterful sculptor in contemporary Colombian and Latin American art, unveils his latest exhibition, 'Matter and Memory.' This show is a testament to his virtuosity, as he transcends the boundaries of materiality to create a dialogue between tradition and metamorphosis. Each sculpture is a testament to his intimate relationship with wood, a medium he has mastered. The influence of modernism is evident in the geometric forms and abstractions of his pieces, echoing the artistic practices of Colombian masters Negret and Ramírez Villamizar.

Wood, in Botero's hands, is not just a medium but a storyteller, whispering tales of the human condition and existence. The selection of wood is a deliberate choice, each with its own virtues and characteristics that Botero skillfully invokes. The Carreto radiates a golden warmth, inviting touch. Oak, with its deep, dark tones, symbolizes the strength and wisdom of centuries. The reddish and purple hues of the Nazarene carry stories of time in their veins. The woods he rescues from the Caribbean Sea near his workshop in Santa Marta bear the marks of their journey, molded and polished by salt, sand, and water. Their blue and greenish colors are the result of a transmutation imposed by nature. Botero, using ancient carving and lathe techniques, and modern
combinations of bronze and aluminum, transforms the wood into his own artistic expression.

The name of this exhibition, "Matter and Memory," is a tribute to the book of the same name by the French philosopher Henri Bergson. In his book, Bergson intends to show the relationship between the two opposing terms of spirit and matter, from whose correspondence experience is born. For Botero, the spirit lies in the wood, where he recalls the stories that are told in the carving and engraving of the pieces. The texture awakens the tactile. The desire to run one's fingers over the geometric and sensual forms of the surfaces of these transformed woods. The implicit percussion of the objects that are part of the exhibition alludes to the unspoken musicality hidden within. As in music, the exhibition plays with time. The past alludes to the origins, cosmic relations with nature, and ancestral wisdom. The present invites us to rethink works previously made in a new context, a new configuration. The future speaks of works that explore living geometry, materiality, and the object in an increasingly immaterial world.

Vibration becomes sound, and like the bars that become beats, so does the exhibition, inspiring us to see beyond the surface, to appreciate the poignant resonance of wood and the enduring legacy of the craft embodied by Botero.