Historias, escenas e intervalos: fotografía y video is the title of a theoretical research project undertaken by Juan Fernando Herrán in the framework of his curatorship of the area of photography and video for Proyecto Pentágono, an investigation into contemporary art from Colombia. Proyecto Pentágono was an event created in 2000 by the Dirección de Artes Visuales of Colombia’s Ministerio de Cultura. It was formulated in response to the debates on history and curatorial method that emerged around the 37th Salón Nacional de Artistas, the last edition of that event held in the 20th century (in 1998). This introduction presents two concepts key to Herrán’s curatorial vision of photography and video. The first notion—“the documentary”—is intrinsically bound to the emergence of techniques in the audiovisual media and their use in the work of some Colombian contemporary artists. Aware of the importance of these new techniques, these artists conceive of works based on images of the surrounding reality which they “slow down” in order to address local issues. The postmodern vision of such work is made clear by the fact that, in it, the document is considered merely “study material.” The second notion—“the narrative”—is discussed in terms of the viewer’s active perception, which rests on the use of a fragment to construct broader information. In the closing paragraph of this text, Herrán voices his view of Proyecto Pentágono in a discussion of his responsibility as a curator charged with the task of selecting artists and works for the sake of generating a space of dialogue and debate. He also mentions the existence of an archive of material pertinent to artists not included in the event, an archive intended for use in later research or to enhance this study.

This text provides an introduction to concepts key to understanding the theoretical research and curatorial vision formulated by Juan Fernando Herrán (b. 1963) and, hence, his selection of artists to participate in Proyecto Pentágono [see doc. no. 1102611]. Though a key piece, this text is a fragment that operates in conjunction with the project’s other curatorial texts, such as Consuelo Pabónon’s philosophically informed piece on performance [doc. no. 1099666 and 1099681]; curator María Iovino’s piece on drawing [doc. no. 1079673]; theorist and cultural manager Javier Gil and journalist María Claudia Parias’s piece on art and fashion; and a general introduction by Miguel Ángel Rojas Sotelo [doc. no. 1093916]. 

In his text, Herrán formulates a close tie between image technologies and the theories of Michael Foucault, whose ideas Herrán would develop in later writing and research such as Papaver Somniferum (2005)[doc. no. 855638]. Here, Herrán cites Foucault’s book The Order of Things in his discussion of how complex systems of representation like photography and technology attempt to appropriate reality even if they revolve around power relations and further control of aspects of life with serious implications for culture.  

Herrán forms part of a generation of artists that reformulated the role of the artist by focusing on the study of documents and archives. Their strategy entails an interpretation of certain social phenomena for the sake of enriching artistic practice.  

Herrán is a visual artist with a degree from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. Thanks to the “Jóvenes Talentos del Banco de la República” scholarship, he did studies towards a master’s degree in art at Chelsea College of Art in London. Since 1992, his work has been exhibited internationally at biennials as well as group and solo shows. Herrán’s distinctions include: honorary mention at the Salón Nacional (1990); Burston Prize for Sculpture at the Chelsea College of Art in London (1993); a fellowship from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation of New York (1994); “Jóvenes Talentos del Banco de La República” fellowship (1992-94); XI Beca Nacional de Creación, Ministerio de Cultura (2000); finalist for the Premio Luis Caballero, Instituto Distrital de Cultura y Turismo, Bogotá (2003); Premio Festival Off, Photoespaña, Magda Bellotti gallery, Madrid (2007); and artist-in-residence, Encuentro Internacional de Medellín (2007). He has published a number of texts and he is currently (2009) an associate professor in the Programa de Artes Plásticas at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá.