Gloria Arboleda ´s work represents an interesting point of view of this complex and always changing scenario we are living in the 21 st century. Probably not even a post modern world; probably we still have no label for it. The truth is that variety is overwhelming and the themes of interest seem to multiply as we speak. But Gloria’s work is especially outstanding because she combines her interest for politics and social issues (as old as art itself) with innovating techniques. She presents themes related to drama, violence, kidnapping, drugs, environment and social suffering; while presenting her criticism of political issues undercover. The artist deeply wants to become some kind of influence in the ideological thoughts of the spectator. She invites them to relate to her work and make decisions; she wants them to think.

The artist captured the images of Colombia’s geography while travelling by plane over the Guaviare River. She turned the divine outlines she could see from the air into the roads where corruption, traffic of narcotics, and gold exploitation take place every day. Maps are important in her work, they look like subtle drawings but the truth is they mark the exact location of hell within the Amazons. In Swimming Prostitutes, she refers to the prostitution theme. Bureaucracy reflects the chaos in the remote regions of the country and the absolute lack of order. Sure Shot represents how the guerrillas totally invaded the area, getting rid of the last nomad tribe on the planet, the Nukak Makú.

Cambiando La Historia (Changing the Story) . Gloria Arboleda

Gloria Arboleda believes art has a social function, and we can clearly see that in her work. She’s concerned about information and communication, things that are supposed to bring people together and make things easier but cause more confusion and are manipulated by governments, among other forces. “ Dealing with information and words allows (for the) dehumanizing (of) not only conflicts but also (of) people. The loss of ego comes along with the disdain for language, from and to the speaker. This happens with victims of a kidnapping that have no chance to establish linguistic relationships with the kidnappers because the main goal the aggressor wants to achieve is to make the victim lose every sense of confidence in his/her ideas,” said the artist.

And for certain the intense criticism the artist has for people’s passivity regarding certain levels of violence is highlighted in every piece. In her work Pure Tropic 7, based on “Peace After the Storm” (1896) from the German artist Ferdinand Schauss (1832–1916), she works with the figure of a man’s body apparently abandoned on the beach after a storm. She makes analogies between fruits, animals and human behaviours, using oranges to represent people and a hen to represent their passivity while facing facts. Acrylic works perfectly in portraying a fragile soul which breaks like glass, once again analogically, before the overwhelming facts.

For those who enjoy exquisite work, fine lines and quality, Gloria Arboleda´s acrylics satisfy those appetites. For those interested in looking beyond that shinny surface, there’s a story to tell, the story of a witness, of an artist, of a country in pain but also fighting to make its beauty prevail over evil.

Maria Carolina Baulo, of Argentina, is an Art Writer that specializes in Art History with studies in Cinematography, Photography and Theatre. To contact Maria please email her at macabaulo@hotmail.com