JOSÉ ALEJANDRO RESTREPO
José Alejandro Restrepo is one of the most important video-artists in Colombia. After studying fine arts at the Universidad Nacional de Bogota and the École Beaux Arts in Paris in 1985, Restrepo came in contact with theorists including Gilles Deleuze and Michel Foucault, who influenced his early work.
During this time the artist became familiar with emblematic video artists Bill Violo and Gary Hill, whose work affirmed his interest in video installation as the appropriate medium for his investigations. Restrepo then went on to become one of the first pioneer’s of video art in Columbia, with installations exploring the complex and multiple relationships between image, sound, music and the position of the body.
Restrepo portrays fine intellect and sensitivity in his work, together with a rigor in his research and a keen erudition. His video installations confront issues surrounding the unravelling role of myths and the desecration of religious icons in Colombian history.
His work has been the subject of various solo exhibitions, including Teafania, Museo de Antioquia in Medellin and he has participated in several international art events, including the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007.
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