Juan Manuel Echavarria, Colombia b. b. 1947. La Bandeja de Bolívar: 1999 / Bolivar's Platter: 1999, 1999. Each piece is 10 ¾ x 13 ¾. Digital C-print mounted between aluminum and plexiglass. Courty the artist and Josée Bienvenu Gallery. © Juan Manuel Echavarria. PTL-17827
The exploration and colonization of the Americas by different cultures has been driven by the search and exploitation of its resources. Whether the conquerors sought land, water, raw materials, or labor, the histories, civilizations, and landscape of the Americas were decimated by the ways these resources were used over time. In Harun Farocki’s The Silver and the Cross, the artist denounces the negative impact of silver mining in Potosí, Bolivia, during Spanish rule. Similarly, Juan Manuel Echavarría’s La Bandeja de Bolívar (Bolivar’s Platter) presents a metaphor for the destructive effects of drug production and trafficking in his native Colombia.
ReVisión: Art in the Americas is organized by the Denver Art Museum. It is presented with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, Kathie and Keith Finger, donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS4.