This article levels a criticism of the organization of the XXXVII Salón Nacional de Artistas, one of the most important art events in Colombia. The text questions the pertinence of the curatorial theme which, according to the author, the Ministerio de Cultura established as a requirement for participation just two or three weeks before the exhibition. This sudden decision on theme failed to take into consideration the VIII Salones Regionales, preliminary events that, due to the timing, could not heed a curatorial guideline that was overly vague, leading to confusion and, hence, few satisfactory works. Jiménez does praise the Ministerio de Cultura’s choice of theme in relation to the area of education, citing the opening address in memory of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1898?1948) who established the Salón Nacional, a nationwide art show, in 1940 when he was the Minister of Culture. Jiménez thus attributes the event’s failure to hasty organization and to unclear indications for the artists.
The criticism voiced by Carlos Jiménez (b. 1947) forms part of the nationwide debate on the benefits and drawbacks of an art show on the scale of Salón Nacional de Artistas. Other Colombian critics and theorists to take part in the debate include Carolina Ponce de León [see doc. no. 1130195] who, first in response to the 34th edition of the event in 1992, and then in response the 35th, 36th, and 37th editions held in 1994, 1996, and 1998 respectively, advocated the formation of the alternative Proyecto Pentágono (2000) [see doc. no. 1079673, doc. no. 1093916, doc. no. 1099666, doc. no. 1102595, and doc. no. 1102611]. Proyecto Pentágono is an exhibition model based on different curatorial proposals. It was established as an alternative to the XXXVIII Salón Nacional, though at present (2010) the Salón continues to exist (a total of forty-one editions have been held). The Salón takes place in a number of different venues. Jiménez’s assertions on the pertinence of some of the works in the salon in relation to the context of the event are apt.
Carlos Jiménez studied architecture at the Universidad del Valle. He has a master’s degree in the theory and history of art and architecture from the Universidad Nacional of Colombia. As an art critic, he has contributed to the Spanish weeklies Cambio l6, Tiempo and El Europeo. At present (2010), he is a contributor to the magazines ArtNexus, Third Text, and Lápiz. He also has a weekly column in the Colombian daily El País.