Beatriz González Retrospective at Astrup Fearnley Museet

A major retrospective of Colombian artist Beatriz González (1932–2022) is on view at Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo, following presentations at Pinacoteca de São Paulo and Barbican in London. Featuring over 150 works, the exhibition traces González's career from the 1960s onward, focusing on her use of imagery as a tool against political oppression and abuse of power in Colombia. Central themes include the 1985 siege of the Palace of Justice in Bogotá by the M-19 guerrilla group, which led to around 100 deaths and radicalized González's work. Her paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, and objects often derive from newspaper photographs and art historical reproductions, reworked in a flat, colorful style she called "the pleasures of the underdeveloped." Notable works include "The Camouflaged Apocalypse" (1989), based on a news photo of a house destroyed in a violent clash, and "Graves" (2000), depicting five empty coffins with photos of massacre victims. González also created furniture and textiles, such as a 140-meter-long printed curtain featuring President Turbay at a party. The exhibition includes archival materials and educational context about Colombia's violent history.