The Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO) presents the exhibition Secuencias: la imagen montaje, an ambitious project by Colombian artist Sair García (Barrancabermeja, 1975) that comes to the cultural heart of the capital.
This exhibition, which will be on display in 2025, is a poetic and reflective invitation on diaspora and uprooting, linked to both the global context and the Colombian conflict.
Archeology of the trade
One of the central nuclei of this exhibition is the series Archaeology of the Craft, in which Sair García draws inspiration from stills by Greek filmmaker Theo Angelópoulos to construct an intimate narrative about the diaspora in a local context.
In this series, the artist proposes a visual reading of forced migrations, addressing the echoes of uprooting from a perspective that connects global displacements with the experiences lived in Colombia.
The series Arqueología del Oficio is a visual exploration of scenes that reflect not only the physical displacement of people between territories, but also the internal transformations that these processes imply. García interprets these images as a form of emotional archeology: fragments that, when rearranged, allow for the reconstitution of the human experience of exodus.
In this exhibition by Sair García at MAMBO, the artist creates a space where different artistic disciplines merge: painting works as a cinematographic montage. Each work functions as a still frame, charged with emotional tension, silence and suggestion.
Although the scenes depicted refer to different geographical contexts, the message is profoundly universal. García finds parallels between the migratory flows from southeastern Europe and the forced displacements that have marked the Colombian social fabric. The works focus on what runs through all migration stories: uncertainty, the loss of home, the need to start over.
Without emphasizing explicit drama or figures, the artist opts for a more subtle representation. Through the treatment of color, composition and the corporal expression of his characters, he communicates sensations that do not require words: a dense silence, the pause of time, the longing for permanence in the midst of transit.
Instead of directly portraying violence or pain, García constructs scenes charged with melancholy, where visual beauty acts as a veil. It is precisely this subtlety that amplifies the emotional power of the work.
The materials: characteristic of Sair García’s work
In this exhibition, Sair García’s technical handling is essential to enhance the conceptual content. The works in Arqueología del Oficio are mostly made in oil on linen, but the artist has also worked with materials such as stainless steel to give coherence to his other series.
In his previous projects, García had already developed a profound exploration of territory, violence and mourning. In series such as Éxodos or Magdalena, he resorted to material metaphors: steel as a symbol of dispossession, water as memory and the solid presence of the Magdalena River. In this new exhibition, the pictorial technique allows him to deepen the visual narrative, consolidating his own recognizable language.
The setting: The Museum of Modern Art of Bogota (MAMBO).
The Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá is one of the most emblematic spaces for contemporary art in Colombia. Its headquarters, designed by Rogelio Salmona, has hosted for decades the leading exponents of national and international art. In this context, Sair García’s exhibition represents not only an institutional recognition of his career, but also an opportunity for the public to approach a rigorous, sensitive and current artistic proposal.
Secuencias: la imagen-montaje is thus part of a curatorial line that seeks to put Colombian art in dialogue with issues of global relevance. The exhibition offers the viewer an experience of leisurely contemplation, in tune with the architecture of the museum and the narrative rhythm of the works.
García does not propose answers, but he does raise questions that matter: how does one reconstruct an identity in the midst of movement? What is preserved when everything has been left behind? How can art bear witness without resorting to noise?
The exhibition will remain open to the public until October 5, 2025 at MAMBO. If you are interested in art that touches history, that transforms silence into language and connects territories through emotion, this exhibition is a must-see.
