Still from the documentary JOHNNIE WALKER & MAMBO enable Spencer Tunick and a moment of Colombian unity
On 5 June, Spencer Tunick invited Colombians to come together at the Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá for one of his nude installations. Over 6000 Colombians showed up, making this particular artwork Tunick’s largest installation in six years.
What made this gathering particularly important though, was not necessarily the nakedness of those involved or the high turnout. The most important element of the art piece was the participants’ backgrounds, Colombian people who have been in the middle of one of the world’s longest wars for decades. As a result, the art installation inspired Bogotá’s Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO) to join forces with Johnnie Walker to create “Keep Walking Colombia”, a short documentary which focuses on peace and forgiveness.
“Whether we belong to the right or left, naked, we are all the same” – Wilson Barreto
In the short film, Wilson Barreto — an ex-police officer — explains how his previous involvement with the Colombian government against the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) led to his blindness. His recount, however is geared towards an optimistic Colombia, which is capable of maintaining peace through forgiveness and equality. The film shows Wilson Barreto as the perfect example of how humanity can achieve this level of forgiveness. The former officer explains how one of his closest friends, Luis, turned out to be the man responsible for attacking the police troop he was in back when he was 19 years old. As it turns out, Luis was the commander of the FARC who took Wilson Barreto’s eyesight.
As one of the participants of the Spencer Tunick installation, Wilson said: “Whether we belong to the right or left, naked, we are all the same.” Like Wilson, all of those involved in the installation and the short documentary want to be an example of how peace is possible and how a country can refuse to be defined by conflict.
Watch the documentary below
https://youtu.be/eFtaVzy70aQ
More information on Spencer Tunick is available on his website