Legal Threats Against Colombian Artists and Curators Spark Calls for Historical Justice

Colombian artist Edinson Quiñones, along with Carolina Chacón, Alejandra Sarria, and Katia González, faces judicial harassment and threats from Prosecutor General Gregorio Eljach, allegedly instigated by Aurelio Iragorri junior, a relative of politician Paloma Valencia. The incident relates to actions by the collective Minga Prácticas Decoloniales, of which Quiñones is a member, during the 47th National Salon of Artists. The group engaged in decolonial practices involving a bust of Guillermo Leon Valencia, subjecting it to symbolic processes like whipping, washing, and dragging through Popayán's streets, referencing historical injustices against indigenous leader Manuel Quintín Lame. This act aimed at symbolic reparation for past abuses by the Valencia family, including Guillermo Leon Valencia, president from 1962 to 1966, who is linked to military actions such as the bombing of Marquetalia. The author, Víctor Albarracín Llanos, argues for a broader investigation into the Valencia family's role in crimes against humanity, suggesting the Special Jurisdiction for Peace should open a macro-case. The text calls for the art community to move beyond legal defense and advocate for historical accountability and territorial autonomy, connecting the art event to ongoing national conflicts.