"The Table" by Catharina Burman

Until October 22, the Museo de la Independencia Casa del Florero in Bogota will present the exhibition titled "The Table" by Catharina Burman (Bogota, 1960). The project was selected during the call "Intervening History," organized by the museum in collaboration with the Casa Museo Quinta de Bolívar and the Art Department of the Universidad de los Andes. "The Table" is a collaborative project between Catharina Burman and different publics. She began to develop it in 2015 at Bogota's Chambers of Commerce and it was initially presented at the Museo Antonio Nariño de Villa de Leyva. The installation currently shown at the Museo de la Independencia is charged with symbolisms that reference peace and the conditions necessary for a negotiation table. Commitment, transparency, justice, balance, and truth are important elements to achieve a good accord. The constructive elements in the exhibition evoke aspects associated with human fragility: through a cover of mirrors, the exhibition invites viewers to look at themselves and symbolically remember that we are all a reflection of our actions. "The Table" has only three legs, each alluding to the differences that exist between human beings—understood as differences that must be respected and taken into account during a negotiation. The first leg is shaped like DNA to remind us of our individuality but also of those things that we have in common as a species. The second leg is shaped like a wine glass and is also reminiscent of the maternal womb, evoking the birth of ideas and dreams as well as the care that we must bestow upon our actions. The third leg rests on a sphere to remind us that our planets must always be considered before we take any actions. The missing leg alludes to absence to remind us of the concept of equilibrium that must be part of an agreement. "Only when we are all able to understand that we are part of this balance, we will achieve a country in peace." Therefore, the fourth leg represents the accumulation of all intentions and commitments. "The Table" has a frame with vine leaves encrusted in it that invite us to remember the value of life and the joy one feels when contributing to a culture of peace. Likewise, the exhibition invites viewers to build a better country and environment through their individual actions.