The text Rolf Abderhalden by critic and curator of Colombian art José Ignacio Roca (b. 1962) connects the elements of the visual arts found in video installations by Abderhalden (b. 1956) with their theatrical production and staging. When Roca speaks of visual language, he is referring to theatrical processes that entail, among other things, the manipulation of time, the use of material resources, exhibition mechanisms, and keys to interpretation. This analysis is pertinent as well to Abderhalden’s work as director of the Mapa Teatro collective and as the creator of the video installations Dormitorio [Bedroom] (1998), Camino [Road] (1998), La Mirada Ciega [Blind Vision] (2000–2001), Maridaje de un Sueño y Vigilia [Union of Dream and Wakefulness] (1998), and Ascensión al Sueño [Ascent to Dream] (1998). On the basis of this text and others by Roca, as well as by art critic Carolina Ponce de Léon (b.1957) [see “Mapateatro: estados de conciencia,” doc. no. 1093594] and Alejandro Torres [see “Invitación al sacrificio,” doc. no. 1184781], it is possible to trace the evolution of Abderhalden’s work, and the work of his Mapa Teatro collective in the early nineties.
José Ignacio Roca’s critical writings on Colombian art of the late twentieth century are published on the website Columna de Arena (http://www.universes-in-universe.de/columna/index.htm). While he was the curator of the Banco de la República de Colombia, Roca sat on juries of art competitions and produced exhibitions at a number of venues in Bogotá. The Columna de Arena project has won widespread recognition on the Colombian art scene due to its discussions of Colombian artists and the problems facing contemporary art.
