Claudia Botero Biography

Claudia Botero was born in 1969 in Armenia, a small town in Colombia. At the age of 24, she graduated in psicology, a study which she attended because her parents did not permit her to study fine arts when she was 16. When she was 25, she found the atelier of a great Colombian maestro of graphic works (Henry Villada). She was immediately taken in and studied graphic art there. After she was selected to attend in the Cuban contest La Joven Estampa, which picked the crème de la crème of Latin American graphic artists, Claudia went to Florence, Italy two years later. In Italy, she was the first Colombian artist to receive the Premio Firenze (Florence Award) in the Palazzio Vecchio. She had been selected in the category arts as one of the best graphic artists. Over the past years, Claudia has developed and improved refined dry point technics and discovered new graphical technologies. Claudia’s work has the reputation of being original and absolutely ingenious. Expressing its spontaneous and fun character, however filled with depth and spirituality, Claudia’s work is considered one of the the most significant graphic work coming from Colombia.

Main Exhibitions

2008 -“1ra Bienal internacional de Chapingo de Arte Contemporáneo”. Group exhibition. México, Nov. -Claudia Botero Graphic work´s. “Fantasía Hacia América”. Individual. Embajada de México, San José (Costa Rica) Junio 18 -julio2. - MaReA, Art and Eros Festival. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. Group exhibition. Bogotá, Colombia. Mayo-junio 2008. Colectiva. -Festival Internacional de las Artes (FIA 2008). Group exhibition. Febrero 2008. San José, Costa Rica.

2007 - Interview concerning publication of her new book “Otro Mundo Florecido”. Banco de la República, Museo del Oro. Armenia, Colombia. Febrero 22 del 2007. - First national appearance in Panama. Casa Cultural Huellas. Feb. - Costa Rica, open air festival, Feria de Ulises. March 21-25.

2006 - “Un Noel a la Galerie”. Permanent group exhibition, Sauve, France - “40 Years, 40 Artists”. Group exhibition, Homage to Quindío, Colombia - “Fifth showroom of Quindian artists”, Group exhibition, Colombia

2005 -“Mother nature”. Mural, Green House, Holland -“Claudia Botero, Artist”. Solo exhibition, Rechtbank Zutphen, Holland -Art Connection B.V., Permanent group exhibition, Tiel, Holland

2004 * “Maturing fruits”, Artwork done for Eco Direct, Holland- Costa Rica * “Viaje Arcano en Punta Seca, Obra Gráfica y Digresión”, Solo exhibition, Lees Bibliotheek, Zutphen, Holland * “Viaje Arcano en Punta Seca, Obra Gráfica y Digresión”. Solo exhibition, Galería Alternativa, Costa Rica

2003 - "2do Annual de Gráfica Contemporanea- Mini Estampa". Junio 2003, Colectiva. Costa Rica. -“Imagination at its Purest. Art: asap”. Solo dual exhibition, New York

2002 * Pinturas y Grabados. A.R.C. INMOBILIER. Solo exhibition, St. Hippolyte-du-fort, France

2001 -Galería Boccuzzi, Group exhibition, Florence, Italy -Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento. Group exhibition, Florence, Italy -CAFFE´ PETRARCA. Award exhibition to the artist. Solo exhibition, Florence, Italy -Open doors, Art Studio. Collective. Sauve (France), May.

2000 -“El castillo” museum. Collective. Medellín (Colombia). June.

1999 -“Aydee Santamaría” Art Gallery. Temporary collective exhibition, “La joven estampa” Prize. La Habana (Cuba). November. -Casa de las Américas, “Elevator to paradise”. Permanent collective exhibition. La Habana (Cuba), November.

Prizes & Awards

2007 – Interview with artist and writer Claudia Botero concerning her publication of her book “Otro Mundo Florecido”. Banco de la Republica, Museo del Oro. Armenia, Colombia. February. .2006 - Invitation to participate in the Museum of Road Art, “Coffee highways”. Permanent Group exhibition, Colombia 2001 - Bronze medal, Firenze Award 2001, Palazzio Vechio, Florence, Italy 2001 - Award exhibition to the artist, Italy Award, XVI Edition, Florence, Italy 1999 - Selected Young Stamp Award, La Habana, Cuba

Publications

2006 - “Another flowered world”, Manual of fantastic poetry. Ed. Universitaria, Colombia 2001 - “Diptic of Witchcraft & Good Table”, Poetry & narrative. Ed. Fudesco. Armenia, Colombia 2000 - “The other sheep”, Cultural newspaper. Armenia, Colombia

Projects

"Sirens and Imaginary in the New World in Vianden" Castle of Vianden. April-May 2009. (Individual) Luxemburg. www.castle-vianden.lu

"Sirens and Imaginary in the New World in Arnhem" Galerie in de Kerkstraat. 2009. (Individual). Netherlands.

Her work is permanently exhibited at galleries in Holland, Belgium, France, Costa Rica and Colombia. And is in private collections in the United States, Japan, UK, Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Italy, France, Holland in particular.

web: http://www.cludiabotero.com

Artist's Statement

Claudia’s work is an invitation to dream, experiment and fantasize about the possibilities and the interpretation of the world, in its free form, happy but not less serious nor important. During the past three years, Claudia has dedicated herself to develop her creative talent through investigation of mixed techniques, using the most traditional ways in graphic work, like the dry point technique which Claudia masters excellently and is her favorite technique, and combine, create, recreate delicately and with new concepts and images, an important part in imaginary graphic art development, with which contemporary technology only just has begun to play. "My inspiration are words, dreams, poetry, fantasy.... the beauty of the world. Art is the best way for me to express mi interior life, my feelings and my happiness. It is a way of saying thanks to life."

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