Beatriz González
Retrospective 1965–2017
13 October 18 – 6 January 19

Opening: 12 October 18, 7 pm

This fall, KW Institute for Contemporary Art presents the first major survey exhibition of Colombian artist Beatriz González (born 1938 in Bucaramanga, CO) in Germany. The exhibition features 60 years of González’ internationally acknowledged work and displays a selection of 120 works created between 1965 and 2017.

Growing up in Colombia in the 1940s and 50s, during an era of political unrest known as La Violencia (The Violence), González became a pivotal figure in the Latin-American art scene. In the late 1950s, González established an artistic practice strongly influenced by icon painting, art-historical motifs, local styles, and mass media. Since then, González’ work has been concerned with everyday scenes, public protest rituals, and scenes of collective pain in her home country, Colombia. The artist broke with the anonymous, impersonal style of Pop Art by addressing political events from the country’s recent history through personal and intimate matters.

Though a strong division between high and low culture, art and design, was drawn over the course of the 20th century, González juxtaposes them with ease. By appropriating canonical motifs and subjects from art history, she established a correlation between Western and South American traditions by presenting a critical reformulation of iconography.

The exhibition Retrospective 1965–2017 by Beatriz González marks the first presentation of this scale outside of Colombia and was produced in collaboration with the CAPC musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.

Curators: María Inés Rodríguez, Krist Gruijthuijsen
Assistant Curator: Cathrin Mayer

Public Program 
 
Curator’s tour through the exhibition with María Inés Rodríguez
13 October 18, 3 pm
Meeting point: Counter
 
Book launch with Beatriz González
Diario del Guernica. Diario de una obra sin sentido Mural Para Fábrica Socialista
13 October 18, 5 pm
Venue: Pogo Bar
 
Assistant curator’s tour through the exhibition with Cathrin Mayer
22 November 18, 7 pm
Meeting point: Counter
 
Colombian film afternoon
2 films selected by Beatriz González (Spanish with English subtitles)
2 December 18, 5 pm and 7 pm
Venue: Studio at KW’s front house
Admission: 5 € / 3 € 
 
Curator’s tour through the exhibition with Krist Gruijthuijsen
13 December 18, 7 pm
Meeting point: Counter

Exhibition folder (PDF)