Libardo Archila Sanabria

Lives and works in Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia

Artist statement

My artistic practice stands at the intersection of critical geography, collective memory, and contemporary painting, focusing on the environmental and geopolitical transformations of the Colombian Foothills (Piedemonte) and the Orinoco-Amazonian region. Operating from the periphery—outside the traditional metropolitan art centers—I approach landscape painting not as a passive scenic representation, but as an active, site-specific document that registers historical trauma, territory reclamation, and ecological fragility. Methodologically, my work is rooted in immersive field research, visual documentation, and community engagement within post-conflict areas. By translating geographic and social tensions into monumental oil-on-canvas installations, I aim to disrupt classical linear perspective. I configure the painted surface as a tridimensional, enveloping environment where the canvas expands across walls, floors, and ceilings. This structural displacement forces the viewer to physically inhabit the landscape, emulating the visceral experience of treading water while searching for historical ancestral pathways. Backed by over two decades of rigorous professional trajectory, my research explores how expressionist brushstrokes, textural densities, and voids can active geopolitical memory. Having been recognized with national grants by the Colombian Ministry of Culture—including the 2026 Fellowship for Established Artists (Beca para Artistas de Amplia Trayectoria)—my ultimate...

Artwork