New actors, new spaces in the artistic field in Argentina and Colombia

Abstract

Let us start with the following questions: In a particular context, such as that of an almost secular conflict and an undeclared war - the case of Colombia - is the notion of “cultural activism” valid? Is the concept of “cultural intervention” appropriate when society as a whole is immersed in a web of violence that affects it in all its dimensions? It is not, of course, a question of discarding the notions of “cultural activism” and “cultural intervention”, but rather of seeing how they make sense in an environment in which the public space is the object of confrontation, since it is a question of transforming the spectator into a citizen, calling for the development of debate and the capacity for judgement of each individual. Since the 1940s, Colombian art has been characterised by a desire to denounce the atrocities of endemic violence and to experiment with forms capable of proposing other ways of occupying public space. Thus, today, some sectors are betting on the re-appropriation of the media and putting them at the service of the community, with the aim of educating young people. Using the Argentinean case and the examples it provides, this article will attempt to portray the cultural activity of the Colombian artistic sector, which has never lowered its guard in the face of a situation that seems insurmountable.