The relationship between art and public space is as old as cities themselves. Medellín, a city that has moved between extremes, has found in art a powerful vehicle to transform its identity and redefine its most emblematic places. One of them, without a doubt, is Plaza Botero.
Located in the center of the city, Plaza Botero is just one of the most recognizable postcards of Medellín; it is a living symbol of how art can be an agent of social and cultural transformation. This place, which houses monumental sculptures by master artist Fernando Botero, has been for years a meeting point, a place of contemplation and also a reflection of the urban challenges of a city in constant change.
Today, more than ever, it is urgent to talk about the importance of re-inhabiting the city, of walking it again, of appropriating its common spaces not only from a physical presence, but also from a critical and poetic point of view.
An open-air museum in the heart of Medellín
The Botero Plaza houses 23 bronze sculptures donated by Fernando Botero, an artist who, beyond his voluptuous forms and unmistakable aesthetics, has represented Colombia on the most important stages of world art. The choice of this place as the site for his works was no coincidence: Botero understood the power of public art and its ability to dialogue directly with the public.
A few meters away is the Museo de Antioquia, an institution that houses one of the artist’s most important collections and has been a constant ally in the activation of this territory. Together, the Plaza and the Museum form a cultural axis that invites contemplation, but also criticism: who really inhabits these spaces, who is art for in Medellin, how is beauty negotiated with the social problems that still persist in the environment?
The importance of recovering public places
For years, Plaza Botero has been the subject of controversy. While it is one of Medellín’s most visited tourist destinations, it has also been a place permeated by informality, marginality and the perception of insecurity. This has generated a constant tension between the artistic vocation of the place and the social reality that surrounds it.
Recovering public places means creating conditions for a fairer coexistence, where art functions as a catalyst for new ways of living. In this sense, Botero’s Plaza represents an urban laboratory where new ways of re-signifying the common are tested.
Colombiamoda and the catwalk that took over the plaza
During the recent edition of Colombiamoda 2025, one of the most significant moments was the runway show that took place in Plaza Botero. Far from being a simple fashion show, this artistic and performative action was a political gesture: a way of saying that art, fashion and culture have the right to inhabit public spaces.
Models, designers and journalists shared the same space, under the unwavering gaze of Fernando Botero’s sculptures. This encounter between disciplines not only revitalized the square, but also put on the table the possibility of a more open city, where the aesthetic is not reserved for galleries or shopping malls, but can also flourish in the midst of urban chaos.
Beyond the postcard: resignifying from the community
In order for spaces like Plaza de Botero to fulfill their promise as platforms for encounter and expression, it is necessary to involve the communities that surround them. This implies sustained cultural policies, constant programming, care for the environment and, above all, active listening to those who live and work in Medellín.
The Museo de Antioquia, in alliance with other cultural institutions, has made important efforts in this regard. From educational tours to community art projects, they have sought ways to articulate the artistic value of the place with local knowledge. But much remains to be done.
Recovering the square is not an exclusive task of the institutional sector. It also challenges us as citizens, as creators, as city walkers. It implies recognizing that each Botero sculpture is not only a work of art, but also a possibility for dialogue.
Reimagining Medellin from its squares
Plaza Botero is just one of the many public spaces that Medellín can re-signify through art. However, its national and international visibility makes it a paradigmatic case.
A place that deserves to be inhabited with respect, with a critical eye and with hope. Where art is not only decoration, but a motor for change.
And if that transformation begins in Botero’s Plaza, so be it. Because when a city recovers its public space, it also recovers its capacity to imagine a different future.
