Art and History

26 de agosto 2016

Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia

A few days ago on Tuesday, I went with a couple of my teacher-friends to Bucaramanga.  We had heard about an art exhibition and wanted to see what there was to see. 

It appeared to be a class exhibition; all the pieces were furniture found in a bedroom with pen ink drawings.

All the drawings were a bit surreal, and some were a bit creepy.  Perhaps they were dreamscapes?  This cat came from a dresser with very Tim Burton-esque drawings on it.

The exhibition was cool, but with 9 pieces it was smaller than we had expected (well, smaller than Dan and Rosa had expected; all I knew prior to our adventure was what Colleen had told me: "We're going to an art exhibit.  I think it's by a park."  For those of you unaware, Bucaramanga is called "The City of Parks," so you can imagine how helpful that statement was.)

After the art exhibition, we decided to caminando (walk around) the city a bit.  We walked around the shopping center area, where the streets are pedestrian-only and are full of people selling their wares - everything from fresh juice and fruits to books to a multi-purpose kitchen tool that rolls and cuts your empanadas just right.  We almost got run down by 4-5 people running with giant styrofoam boards full of knock-off sunglasses (the cops had found them).  Between the carts and tables of peddlers were more of the painted hormigas culonas statues.

These were among the few that still had all their pieces - most were missing their heads and/or wings.  Thanks vandals, this is why we can't have nice things.

We bopped around some more, and then Nestor realized that we were near the Santander History Museum (located in an old house of Bolivar's), so we headed over there.  At the door, a little old man was taking down the flags bordering the entrance; closing up shop.  He did let us in though, at the low price of $2.000 (FYI, 3 mil [thousand] Colombian pesos is approximately 1 USD).  

El Liberatador, Simón Bolivar

As we walked through the museum, the little grumpy man turning lights on as we entered (or 5 minutes after we entered) each successive room, it became clear that this was not a sustainable way to preserve these artifacts. Like many buildings here in Colombia, the boundary between outside and inside was blurred; many of the rooms did not have doors, or had large open-air windows to the courtyard.  There was no attempt at climate control, and many of the artifacts (including a few prints) were in direct sunlight for at least part of every day.  The cases they were in did not prevent the sun or air from entering either.  In a few generations, many of these artifacts will be lost to history.

Creepy mummies in plexiglass cases... the guane must have prserved them well, because this museum doesn't seem to be doing much in the way of preservation.

Guane textile, much of which has already disintegrated.

Museum cats!  Adorable in their homes in the eaves, until you realize they live there because there is game for them to catch...within the museum...

All in all though, we got to see some cool stuff (while it lasts) - Bolivar's possessions, Guane artifacts, and a bunch of other things from revolutionary times.

Took another selfie with this lady (same one I took a selfie with at Panachi) - there's statues of her ALL OVER the city, always holding that tax edict and a gas burner.

If you happen to be in Bucaramanga, I recommend visiting this museum. It's pretty cool if you look past the probable asbestos and rats, and it definitely makes you think about the longevity and preservation of history.

"The liberty of the new world is the hope of the universe."