Juan Fernando Herrán's Stairway Sculptures at 2011 Venice Biennale

For the 2011 Venice Biennale, Colombian artist Juan Fernando Herrán (born 1963 in Bogotá) presented a series of sculptures titled "Escalas" (Stairs) at the Latin America Pavilion. Curated by Alfons Hug, who twice directed the São Paulo Biennial, the pavilion focused on the bicentennial of independence celebrated across Latin America in 2010. Herrán's works—including "Nave central" (Central Nave), "Tombe" (Tomb), "Transits" (Transits), and "Liens" (Links)—depict precarious staircases climbing hillsides, made from materials like wood, bricks, and cement. These sculptures explore themes of territory, migration, and social ascent, reflecting the incomplete reality of Latin America. The artist describes the effort as aiming for "horizontalidad" (horizontality) and a place of one's own. The exhibition was titled "Un ciel de terre" (A Sky of Earth).