I know the Giant Spiders care about art and art things. So here's what's going down in Colombia town:
Botero's 'Mujer de pie desnuda', or 'Naked woman standing'
This new statue (the first Botero piece to reside in Bucaramanga) has caused quite an outrage since it was placed in San Pio Park in December 2010. It has nothing to do with the fact she's not wearing clothes. This winter Colombia suffered its worse rainy season on record, and 400 families in Bucaramanga alone were left homeless. During that time, the city erected 'Mujer de pie desnuda', which it bought for roughly $1.25 million dollars. Many citizens were outraged that the city would spend so much money on art when so many people were suffering from homelessness. The city replied that it bought the piece well over a year ago, before the intense winter flooding. Citizens responded that the timing doesn't matter...even a year ago that money could have been put towards much needed social projects. Botero responded that investment in art is a sign of a city's development and progress. Bucaramanga might need quite a bit more progress, given that many people have leveled accusations against the city's mayor (who many believe used public funds to buy the statue while himself receiving a cut of the money from Botero).
I walk by this statue everyday on my way to work...and past the 24-hour security guard designated to protect it (after it was erected someone shot this poor lady with a paintball gun). I really do think it's beautiful, and it's nice to see so many people who come out to enjoy the piece and get their picture taken in front of it. At the same time, I see that Bucaramanga, while a pretty nice city given Colombian standards, has a whole list of things to improve...not the least of which is the crumbling infrastructure in its northern section. I feel like the pragmatist in me wins the debate, contending that the money should have been invested otherwise. At the same time, Bucaramanga has a practically non-existent public art culture, so such an incredible public piece seems like a step in the right direction as far as 'culture' goes. Who knows. These are just my mixed thoughts. I imagine that someone has also complained about the statue as a display of public nudity...but I'm not going to touch that one because I'm 100% sure I know what the Giant Spiders think about not wearing clothes in public.
So say something. Also, how much do you think Butte Silver Bow would be willing to pay for a Botero rendition of, let's say, a naked Bill Murray? Or maybe we could just trade the Lady of the Rockies?
I can't recall a time i've ever worn clothes.
ReplyDeleteMan, I don't know what to think about this. I think public art is great, and it's probably the only kind of art most people pay attention to these days. I'm not sure you can ever argue that art is worth it, though. There's always something that money can be put toward to make people's lives better. Maybe art programs that involved the community would have been a better choice.
I think pubic art is great!
ReplyDeleteTo me, it depends on the truth of this statement: "many people have leveled accusations against the city's mayor (who many believe used public funds to buy the statue while himself receiving a cut of the money from Botero)." If the mayor and the artist were in cahoots about how to screw the city then it is wrong.
ReplyDeleteAlso for my-philosophical/idealist-sake, I wish we weren't living in a world where we had to choose between homeless families and public art. I know zero about Colombia's tax structure, but I do know that Colombia is the most unequal in wealth distribution and equity in Latin America, so maybe they should levy a tax on the rich to improve the infrastructure and provide secure housing. Seems better then having to weigh public art vs. public safety and housing.
Oh, I skipped that part about the mayor. Yeah, it's all about taxes. It's the same deal in America. We're held hostage by the rich and by a government that only seems interested in keeping the rich happy at the expense of 90% of the other human beings that live in this country.
ReplyDeleteWe live in unspectacular times, and maybe public art can take a back seat until the world gets its head out of its ass.