Photographer Ruvén Afanador exhibits ‘Daughters of the Water’ in Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia, Jan 26 (EFE).- A photography exhibition on Colombia’s indigenous communities by Ruvén Afanador and artist Ana González will be shown in Cartagena from Thursday as part of Hay Festival 2022.
“Daughters of the Water,” a tribute to the ancestral indigenous communities of Colombia, shows members of 26 ethnic groups that inhabit the country from the Caribbean department of La Guajira to the Amazon.
Among the communities portrayed are the Wayuu, Kogui, Yagua, Tucano, Gunadule, Uitoto, Misak, Yucuna, Arhuaco, Pachacuarí, Nukak, Kamëntsá, Koreguaje, Emebera Chamí, Inga, Nasa and Wounaan.
Afanador’s works – which were later added to by Gonzalez – consists of 60 black-and-white portraits of indigenous women, men and children who live in the most remote places of country.
The Colombian photographer is famous for his images of public figures such as Quentin Tarantino, George Clooney, Al Pacino, Céline Dion, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
“In my work, the feminine side has always taken a very important part, especially in men. It is something that I have always explored,” said Afanador during a talk with the cultural adviser of the Spanish embassy in Colombia, Juan-Pedro Perez-Gomez.
Regarding the role of women in “Daughters of the Water,” Afanador said that “for us it was very important to show the sensuality and the feminine side of men and women, and how they are with all the clothing, the nudity, the skin, the sensuality.”
The Colombian artist said that she and Afanador realized through three years of travel that “there is much to learn from indigenous women.”
“It was very nice to understand how the female influence is very powerful in these communities, both in men and women,” she said.
“In indigenous mythology, water is a vital element that, in most cultures, appears linked in some way to the origin of life,” she added.
Both Afanador and González will be at Hay Festival in Cartagena where they will talk with biologist Brigitte Baptiste about the protection of nature, the displacement of indigenous communities and the role of art as a means of making these issues visible.
González and the Spanish writer Irene Reyes will also talk about “Daughters of the Water” and the connection between South American and Greco-Latin mythology.
“Daughters of the Water” will be on display at the Spanish Cooperation Training Center in Cartagena until Mar. 18. EFE
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