Known as ‘la maestra’ in Colombia, González’s singular vision has influenced generations of artists and thinkers. Her striking body of work speaks to experiences of conflict, communion and everything in between and this retrospective, while situating González’s practice within the specific history of Colombia and its wider Latin American context, reveals how profoundly her practice resonates with global concerns.

Featuring over 150 artworks, many of which have never been shown in the UK, this exhibition demonstrates how, through her experiments with myriad media, González consistently refuses the hierarchies of value ascribed to specific mediums or cultures. Works on display span paintings, sculptural objects and interventions on furniture – beds, tables, trays, TVs and jewellery boxes; as well as monumental printed curtains, painted backdrops and immersive wallpaper installations.

González draws from found images that she has collected throughout her life in Colombia – ranging from tattered reproductions of paintings from Western art history to newspaper clippings reporting on violent conflict and loss. She reworks and transforms these sources in a distinctive graphic style and bold colour palette. Across her practice, with satire, tenderness, and defiance, she addresses the recurring violence in Colombia, socially constructed ideas of taste and value, the legacies of colonialism, and the displacement of communities.

The exhibition is a key highlight of the Barbican’s Spring season, an ideas-led programme that finds synergies across the Centre’s many artforms to explore the vital topics relating to our world, our society and ourselves. Further details of programming correlated to González’s practice will be announced soon.