Bogota 2018

Palmer was in Bogota during their 2018 Presidential Elections. Highlights of the trip included a visit to a working coffee farm and touring the exquisite Salt Cathedral.

Artist Statement

“The first attraction we visited in Bogota was stunning. It was the Gold Museum, “Museo del Oro.” I didn’t know what to expect. It actually sounded kind of boring. Gold. A whole museum devoted to gold. Okay. In contrast, I knew in advance that I would be blown away by the Botero Museum (“Museo Botero”). I’d have the pleasure of seeing the paintings and sculptures of a world-famous artist. I would receive magnificent inspiration to see what man can create out of basic media and raw materials. However, the Gold Museum surprised me. Gold is natural. It’s on the Periodic Table of Elements. Symbol: Au. Atomic Number: 79. But, gold is not growing on trees. It’s not lining the fields as you drive along the freeway. Man must go to great lengths to discover it. Then, man works with equal intensity to shine, sculpt, and mold it to elevate its society-determined value. From a design perspective, the Gold Museum is brilliant. The spacing, casing, and lighting are truly first-class. The interplay between man and nature resonated immediately with me. While gold naturally appears on earth, I don’t have the ability to appreciate it unless man has taken extreme measures to find it, shine it, sculpt it, enclose it, light it and authenticate it.

With Bogota 2018, you will see my admiration for both the natural and the man-made. In most if not all instances, one cannot exist without the other. With this South American art series, I’ve expressed my love affair with this symbiotic relationship. It’s unfortunately true – by using nature, man is capable of creating unspeakable evil. With this art series, as is authentic with my spirit, I bring you a celebration of the beauty, joy, and peace that nature brings to man.”

John Ross Palmer