Nuevo El Dorado (Wild Economy)
Miguel Ángel Rojas
Artist’s country of origen: Colombia
Materials: Coca leaf powder, neutral silkscreen base, clay, mineral pigments, gold and silver leaf on fiber paper mounted on foam board
Medium: Installation, Print / Graphic Work
Size: 400 x 1800 cm – 400 x 1500 cm
Year: 2018
Line of Inquiry:
In this monumental installation, Rojas critiques the environmental degradation and social inequalities resulting from extractive industries and illicit economies. By using materials like coca leaf powder and gold leaf, Rojas underscores the complex interplay between cultural heritage and the exploitative forces of globalization.
Displayed at the 12th Shanghai Biennale and later at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO) in the exhibition Regreso a la Maloca, this piece serves as a poignant commentary on the ongoing colonial dynamics and the commodification of natural resources. Rojas’s work invites viewers to reflect on the intertwined histories of indigenous knowledge, ecological destruction, and the pursuit of wealth, challenging them to reconsider the true cost of progress.
The Artist
Miguel Ángel Rojas
Miguel Ángel Rojas is a pioneering Colombian conceptual artist whose work exposes hidden systems of power, marginality, and identity through an examination of his country’s social and political landscape.
