Fernando Botero's Abu Ghraib exposed

I visited Fernando Botero's exhibit today, and I am glad for doing it, despite the very gruesome images that still linger in my mind. The exhibit is currently showing at the UCB Bancroft Library (and will only be shown at select galleries b/c museums don't want to pick it up). Tomorrow is the last day of the show, and I don't know where it will travel next. Wherever it goes, it will make a lasting impression. "The force of art is the length of time it speaks to people," says Botero. "This is a permanent accusation."

I appreciate the writer of the SFGate article for quoting Botero's statement: "American museums didn't want this exhibit. For whatever reasons, artistic or political, I don't know... Art has to be seen... This is a testimony. It's not anti-American, it's anti-inhumanity."

Each of the paintings depict a scene of violence, torture, humiliation in gruesome, graphic detail. The brush strokes are wide and sweeping, punctuated by prickling drops of red blood. The greens, blacks, ochres of the dark scenes are accentuated by brightly colored women's underwear which the prisoners are forced to wear, or the bright blue latex glove on the hand of a prison guard, or the green or red blindfolds across prisoners' faces, or the bright yellow stream of urine sweeping across the broad backs of the bound prisoners. The contrast created by color is striking, and the darker tones create a depth that surrounds the prisoners who are exposed and bound and tortured in different ways. The dehumanizing and shaming experiences does not, however, strip these prisoners of their dignity. The fleshiness of their bloodied, naked bodies set against barren cells and empty prison corridors contrast with the markedly absent physical presence of the prison guards. I was struck that they were never shown, and the absence speaks more about what is missing in their character more than anything.

This is one artist's expression of horror, outrage, and resistance. This is an artful challenge for us to remember how to be powerful voices for the acts of remembering and change. This is a reminder that we must never forget this as we write and rewrite histories, and that we must ingrain this experience into our histories, our communal narratives, to say that we do not and must not repeat this. Ever.

Visit Art for Change to read another blogger's viewpoint on Botero.

I hope the exhibit continues showing throughout the world for a long time.