Interview with Artist Eblin Grueso (Santa María de Timbiquí-Cauca, 1994-)

Abstract

This is an interview with Eblin Grueso, a visual artist from the municipality of Santa María de Timbiquí, in the department of Cauca. Marked by slaveholding violence, the exploitation of bodies and territories, mining extraction, and forced displacement, this region is also an example of local processes of resistance. His works are situated, in his own words, between "his bodily, peasant, Black community, and Black person memory, and the play of contemporary art." Notable installations include: Canto fúnebre (ARTBO 2025), winning project of the 10th Sara Modiano Award, a reflection on violence that stages the act of throwing Black bodies into the Timbiquí River; Viaje en el tiempo (2024), which unearths a story from the early 20th century when the French company New Timbiquí Gold Mines arrived in Santa María and established enslaving mining practices; and Ni la muerte nos separa (2021), a four-piece installation demanding justice for the lives of racialized social leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. His works have been exhibited in the country’s most prominent museums, universities, cultural centers, and art fairs.

In this interview, Grueso explains how he conceives his art, incorporates his culture and practices, and the role his community plays. Furthermore, he discusses his most recent works, particularly Viaje en el tiempo.