Universes in Universe

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After our walk through the historic quarter of La Candelaria, we will continue our journey to the north to visit a selection of exhibitions held during the Month of Art 2014 and see places of interest along the way. We first take the Carrera Séptima, which at this point is a pedestrian zone.

Soon after the Jimenez de Quesada Avenue, on the Santander Park is the famous Gold Museum. With its roughly 60,000 artifacts from all the pre-Colombian cultures of the country and especially for its unmatched gold work collection, the Gold Museum is undoubtedly one of the most significant attractions in Colombia and the whole of Latin America.

Crossing Calle 19, we continue through Las Nieves quarter until Jorge Tadeo Lozano University’s Museum of Visual Arts. Also in Las Nieves, we visit a photo exhibition in the ArtNexus magazine space and very close by, the artist-run space El Parche. In the Bogota Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO), a special exhibition pays homage to renowned Colombian artists who died in the last decade.

A few meters away from MAMBO, the Colpatria Tower rises high above the city. Built in 1979, it travels 196 meters (643 ft.) into the sky making it the highest skyscraper in Colombia. From its observation deck on the 48th floor you can have a wonderful view of the city. At night, its façade is illuminated with a chromatic LED lighting system that projects moving images.

Crossing a wide bridge over Calle 26, you get to Independence Park where the Planetarium is located. Inaugurated in 1969, it doubles as a cultural center. Behind the Planetarium, one can see the Park Towers (Torres del Parque), a residential complex designed by famous Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona (1927-2007) and built between 1965 and 1970.

On Carrera 5, beyond Independence Park and between Calle 26 and Calle 27, bordering Macarena quarter, there are several art galleries. We present here the October 2014 exhibitions at: Valenzuela Klenner, NC-arte, Alonso Garcés and La Balsa in one of the Park Towers.

Continuing on Calle 27, we go down again to Carrera Séptima. On Sundays and public holidays, the entire road is closed to vehicles all day until the evening, becoming a safe and popular place to ride a bike, go for a run or practice other sports, or simply go for a stroll.

This part of the tour ends with a visit to a Colombian modern art collection at the top floor of the National Museum, which is housed in the old Central Penitentiary building. Also worth visiting are the very instructive and valuable collections in the historical halls of the Museum that start from the pre-Colombian cultures.

Easy to do on foot, the total extension of this walk is about 4 km, not counting the walking inside art spaces and other places of interest.

© Text and photos: Haupt & Binder, Universes in Universe

North of the center

Exhibitions in the northern area of the city center, from Las Nieves to the National Museum, during the Month of the Art 2014 in Bogotá.

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