This May, the Fondation Beyeler will be the first museum in Switzerland to devote a comprehensive solo exhibition to the Colombian artist Doris Salcedo (*1958), presenting eight major series of works from different periods of her career. On 1300 square metres, the presentation will bring together around 100 individual pieces, among them key works on loan from major international institutions as well as rarely exhibited works from private collections.


In her objects, sculptures and site-specific interventions, Doris Salcedo addresses the experiences and repercussions of violent conflicts across the world. Even though her works often take specific events as their starting point, they are of universal significance and validity. The artist’s work often revolves around reflections on loss, individual suffering and the ways societies process collective grief. Her installation Palimpsest, 2013–2017, has been on view at the Fondation Beyeler since October 2022.

 

Doris Salcedo grew up in Colombia’s capital Bogotá, which she describes as an epicentre of catastrophe. Persistently confronted with her native country’s political power structures and widespread human suffering, Salcedo developed a distinct social and political awareness, leading to works that lend form to the ideas and emotions triggered by these experiences. Rather than simplistic depictions, Salcedo searches for people’s shared feelings and understanding. In her own words, she says: “What I'm trying to get out of these pieces is that element that is common in all of us.”