Art as a mirror of horror: an Interview with Juan Manuel Echavarría

Abstract

For more than 25 years, Colombian artist Juan Manuel Echavarría has dedicated himself to investigating the violence of the armed conflict in Colombia through art. Mainly through photography, but also experimenting with other media such as video and installation, his work has attempted to reveal aspects of war that have remained invisible, imperceptible. Within the avalanche of images and narratives of violence that exist today in Colombia, and in many other countries that have suffered war, it is important to reflect about the role of art, about what differentiates it, and what allows it to build memories from unexpected places.