Video: A plague of ants in Colombia. Art project by Rafael Gomez Barros
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Are you afraid of ants? It is unlikely, because these are harmless and even useful insects. But what would you say when you look at the Colombian National Congress building, the entire facade of which is covered with huge ants? A little creepy, right? And yet there is no need to be afraid, because the Seized House project is just an original symbiosis of nature and art, created by the artist Rafael Gómez Barros in order to draw attention to the problems of forced immigration in Colombia.
The House Taken (or Casa Tomada in Spanish) project started in Colombia in 2007. During this time, giant ants have already occupied for a while such sights as the Victor Emmanuel monument in Santa Marta (2008), the building of the customs office in Barranquilla (2009), the Alonso Garcia Gallery in Bogota (2010). From February 16 to March 26 this year, the building of the Congress of the Republic of Columbia became a giant anthill.
Since the 1960s, there has been no rebel movement in Colombia. As a result of the armed conflict, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and become refugees. “The body of each ant consists of two skulls. One of them symbolically depicts those who were forced to leave their homes, and the other - those who caused them to become refugees,”explains Rafael Gomez Barros.
Each of the ants weighs about 45 grams. The bodies of the insects are made of fiberglass, and the legs are made of tree branches. The dimensions of the installation depend on the dimensions of the building that serves as the basis for the installation. For example, Raphael needed 1300 ants for Congress.
The head of the Colombian parliament gave permission for the "seizure" of the Congress building, because, according to him, the installation is an artistic reflection of the serious problem of the country.
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