Juan Manuel Echavarria was first a writer before turning to photography in the 1990s in reaction to the guerilla movements in Columbia. Bocas de Ceniza (Mouth of Ashes) is the name of the mouth of the Magdalena river where the bodies of victims of the violent conflicts in Columbia are recovered. Requiem (2006-2011) bears witness to certain compassionate Colombians who provide burials for these nameless bodies, honoring them and in some way giving them back the identity which was taken from them. As a discreet observer of these acts of resistance and resilience, Juan Manuel Echavarria suggests in his exhibition that poetry has the power to transform damage into social cohesion.
Juan Manual Echavvaria makes his home both in New York and Bogota. He has received recognition for his work which has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (2005) and at the Jeu de Paume in Paris (2006).
Jonas Cuénin
Juan Manuel Echavarría
Requiems
From September 10 to October 15 at the
MAI (Montreal, intercultural arts)
3680, rue Jeanne-Mance
514 982 181
