Opening tomorrow: Indigenous beauty ideals at Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango

Two shows open at La BLAA tomorrow, March 19:

Amerindian Bodies: Art and culture of body modification, curated by archaeologist María Alicia Uribe, explores the rich cultural, social and symbolic body modifications among pre-Hispanic societies of Colombia and the Colombian indigenous population today. Their modifications to skin, muscles, bones, hair, teeth and nails, far from being redundant, have been vital in building the social identity of individuals. The exhibition is thus a tour of the ideals of beauty, religious rituals, economic activities, mythology and cure of disease among various indigenous societies.

 Habeas Corpus. Have [a] body [to explain] is a joint curatorial project of art history professor Jaime Borja and artist José Alejandro Restrepo. Assuming the body as a cultural experience and a container of history, the curators set up a dialogue between the fascination with the body of baroque and contemporary cultures. The exhibition is a work of baroque counterpoint between Nueva Granada, contemporary expressions of corporeality and scientific illustrations, which reveals the struggle of Western culture to accept the corporeality beyond dualism with the soul.