Doris Salcedo
White Cube Mason’s Yard, London
Doris Salcedo (b. Bogotá 1958) requested Tate Modern not to repair completely the concrete floor of its Turbine Hall, fissured for her installation in 2007. The giant crack − which earned her European acclaim − was only filled, leaving a visible scar that still reminds us of the abyss that exists between the value of life in the north and in the south, in the First World and in its periphery.
![Doris Salcedo Doris Salcedo](/var/artealdia_com/storage/images/international/contenidos/resenas/doris_salcedo/545342-1-esl-AR/Doris_Salcedo_full.jpg)
Salcedo returned to London to fill White Cube Mason’s Yard with two installations that addressed violence, torture and death. Her native Colombia served as inspiration for her works, but rather than simply raising political awareness in the Western World, they induced reflection on the value of oblivion and suffering. The first floor hosted the installation which had already traveled throughout several countries, Plegaria Muda (2008-10), composed of 45 units each formed from two tables, one upright, the other upturned, and joined together by a layer of earth that allowed the growth of green shoots. Each unit had approximately the length and width of a standard coffin, the whole ensemble evoking a collective burial site. Besides representing rebirth through death, the singularity of each table symbolized the fact that human beings retain their individuality even i
The ground floor gallery showcased an enormous shroud, A Flor de Piel (2012), a very delicate piece. Only on closer inspection did the viewer realize that it was made up of thousands of rose petals in a state of semi-decay that had been sewn together. The artist thus paid tribute to the victims of torture by means of a flower offering, as a reminder that even when beauty fades, what remains is still substantial. Salcedo carries out work against violence, corruption and injustice in the social and aesthetic fields.
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A Flor de Piel, 2011 - 2012. Rose petals and thread, approx. 246 7/8 x 433 1/16 in. © the artist Photo: Ben Westoby. Courtesy White Cube
Pétalos de rosa e hilo, aprox. 627 x 1100 cm © la artista. Foto: Ben Westoby. Cortesía White Cube