Art’s Capacity to Reconcile Colombian Society: Plegaria muda and Vidas Móviles

Starting as bipartisan hostilities in the 1940ies, Colombia’s internal conflict developed into a complex and brutal war continuing until today. Unsurprisingly, violence has been a prominent topic in Colombian art. The discourse has concentrated on how artworks commemorate the violence. This paper takes on a different focus as it examines how Colombian art not only builds memory but also promotes reconciliation and peace. Two different Colombian artworks, Doris Salcedo’s Plegaria muda (2011) and Ludmila Ferrari’s Vidas Móviles (2007-2009) are compared with regard to their potential to create a sense of community. Both artworks were awarded important prizes. But whereas Plegaria Muda has been displayed around the world, Vidas Móviles was deliberately only exhibited in the local community. Drawing on Rancière’s (1995) distribution of the sensible and Bourriaud’s (2002) concept of relational art, it is argued that Vida Móviles creates a sense of community bottom-up, while Plegaria muda facilitates national identification.