This document by Juan Fernando Herrán (born 1963) is one of the texts included in the publication Papaver somniferum, which resulted from his field studies on the poppy started in 1993. Its relevance lies in its presentation of the concepts most important to the artist in his visual artwork and research. Their focus on man’s strategies of dominion and appropriation when faced with space and nature is derived from a critical, contemporary view of landscapes.Herrán turns to the poppy plant, from which the highly valued latex is extracted to make heroine, to cast a light on the conflict it generates in Colombia. The writer points out the violent, vicious cycle that starts with cultivation and production, and then eradication. In this text, he analyzes the strategic role of technology in the aerial eradication campaigns. Using satellite signals and infrared viewers, along with other sophisticated tools, the Colombian State records, identifies, and attacks the crops. Undoubtedly, the technology causes harmful effects to the peasants who live in those areas that are difficult to reach; these are areas where groups have risen up in arms and drug traffickers have [the most] influence. Some interesting examples are the large-format photographs in the Papaver somniferum project series: Tríptico judicial[Judicial Triptych] (1999) and the installation of sculptures made of lead in Terra Incógnita [Unknown Land] (2000–02).In the Colombian art world in the 1990s, there was a heightened interest in showing the difficult episodes of violence the country was experiencing: displacement, forced disappearance, genocide, and massacres. Unlike the work done by artists in other decades, artists such as Herrán, José Alejandro Restrepo (born 1959), Doris Salcedo (born 1958), and Óscar Muñoz (born 1951) performed field studies related to such themes. They also began to experiment with materials and spaces that led them to strengthen artworks that conceptualized these issues. As well as being a visual artist, Herrán was director of the Visual Arts Department at the Universidad de los Andes [University of the Andes] in Bogotá (2002–04) and participated as a curator in Proyecto Pentágono: Investigaciones sobre arte contemporáneo colombiano [The Pentagon Project: Studies on Contemporary Colombian Art] (2000), and contributed to the book Wiedemann por Colombia, la mirada de un artista [Wiedemann for Colombia, Through the Eyes of the Artist] (2005).