5 4 I t is a great pleasure for the Colombian Embassy to host an exhibit of tapestries by Olga de Amaral, one of the most important figures in contemporary Colombian and Latin American art. Olga de Amaral began her career in Colombia in the late 1950’s after returning from her studies in textiles at Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Bloomfields Hills, Michigan. Olga’s work has two particular and significant elements that are common to most native cultures worldwide: the act and art of weaving, and the cult of gold. The unique way Olga blends these elements together makes her a universal and timeless artist. Weaving has always been a fundamental activity among cultures and has had a profound meaning in all of them. To weave is generally a feminine task associated with warmth and protection, generating a sense of belonging to the community. The thread is the image of time and the weaving represents life. The weaving gathers the fibers that constitute the world. Today the art of teaching to weave explains life and how it connects humans and nature. Traditionally, weaving has been considered a craft. However, through her close contact with Colombian artisans, her knowledge of indigenous weaving techniques and her constant experimentation of textile methods, Olga has been able to transform this craft into art. This achievement has earned her a privileged position in the contemporary art scene in Latin America and worldwide. The astonishing and powerful presence of gold and silver in her work is a distinct characteristic of Olga de Amaral’s tapestries. Gold and silver have fascinated all cultures throughout history given their property to reflect light. Since the Egyptian civilization, throughout the medieval era and still today, precious gold and silver have been associated with power, light, strength and divinity. Olga’s gift as an alchemist has enabled her to transform natural fibers into ceremonial, sacred objects that even today could serve as offerings to the gods. Her art has a truly magnetic power. Olga de Amaral has expanded the notion and art of tapestry producing a new experience within the textile world and its millenarian tradition. She has introduced movement and rhythm to its rigid geometry. She has created a whole new universe of forms, colors, and volumes and a new language that speaks directly to the spirit. Olga de Amaral’s intricately woven and richly embellished wall hangings have appeared in major exhibitions around the world. Her work is in the collections of important museums including Art Institute of Chicago, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogota, Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; Musee Cantonal des Beaux Arts, Lausanne. I hope you all find it as inspiring as we do. I invite you to enjoy this wonderful exhibition. Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno and mrs. Gabriela Febres-Cordero de Moreno AQUA A, B, C & D 2002, linen, gesso, gold-leaf, acrylic; 50x37 cm each, artist´s collection.