By Camilo Argüello Benítez
In the spacious room with high ceilings and white walls hung large portraits that he took his father, Leo Matiz, throughout his career as a photographer, cartoonist and painter, striking a solid carved wood mantel stored in their niches, as a very luxurious dishes, cameras and Matiz documents identified in his travels around the world. It is the living room in Bogota where Alejandra Matiz, keeps alive the work of his father.
is a large room with windows facing north of the city. A low table holds one end of the room and she had several books of photography published by his father and others in tribute to him. Several chairs placed around the room and two large sofas, easy on the eye form the Leo Matiz Gallery opened in December.
As a lady who wait while the viewer's gaze is lost in the magnitude of the nearly empty room. Log in and greets jubilant. He wore a simple red suit like wine, a green scapular around his neck crafted with several images of the Virgin. Your smile is generous and sudden, and generates small wrinkles at the corners of his eyelids.
And although not speak quickly it does with great clarity, animation and energy. Your prayers are emphasized strongly, with strong emphasis on highly expressive verbal, and sometimes, some really humorous.
With them was guilty of extravagance description that she disapproved of laughing as soon as the ideas came from his mouth.
Alejandra Matiz has made several exhibitions of photographs of his father in the Country, Berlin and now has decided to bring them to Colombia, where from now, will go to other countries.
Thinking works left by his father, Alejandra specialized in restoration work in Italy, where he lived for over 30 years and came to Colombia in October with the slogan to go ahead with the Foundation "Leo Matiz" he created along with it.
Its plans include social exposures are linked to the auction of some works Aracataca Leo took in 1940, before writing "One Hundred Years of Solitude." The money raised will be used to strengthen social projects for women in the country.
- How will social exposures Foundation next year?
The topic will be women. Highlight the value in society. So, this exhibition is based on photos taken by my father from a group of important Latin American women such as Maria Felix, Frida (Kahlo) and Tina Modotti. Although Tina was not in the region, they lived long time in Mexico and feel of the land said.
definitely need to help women in Colombia. The Foundation initiated a social project to help single mothers. Then, an exhibition of Latin American women in the streets with the "Braille", ie below the photo there will be a description of what is photography for the blind can imagine and know what is a photographic portrait. I thought about them, because each in its own way, are the sign of the revolutionary woman, responsible for change part of the story.
Another presentation will be based on Macondo seen by Leo Matiz. Macondo from 1940 to 1960 before being put Hundred Years of Solitude. That people pure, elemental, which had no influence on the Nobel.
This exhibition, like the other, will be taken to the streets but is not designed to help women, but that has Aracataca aqueduct. Surely not reach, but something will help. And then I'll let these photos, large and laminated, in this town that grew up with my dad, so they have a permanent exhibition, will bring tourists and their economy improves.
- When was the Leo Matiz Foundation?
legally 1998. Leo Matiz was the same one who decided to make a foundation for not to abandon his work because he saw the need in Colombia there was a photo center, which will show the world that art so sad for the country, or as I call it : the forgotten art. I think a newspaper can write without a photograph, but if a photographer is paid work, no credit is given or not given importance and it is believed that anyone can pick up a camera and take a picture, start to miss the reason for this trade.
- When was the Leo Matiz Foundation?
legally 1998. Leo Matiz was the same one who decided to make a foundation for not to abandon his work because he saw the need in Colombia there was a photo center, which will show the world that art so sad for the country, or as I call it : the forgotten art. I think a newspaper can write without a photograph, but if a photographer is paid work, no credit is given or not given importance and it is believed that anyone can pick up a camera and take a picture, start to miss the reason for this trade.
- What are the projects of the Foundation?
For 2006 we plan to do six exhibitions every two months. Also launch the Leo Matiz photography prize, for that there will be a convocation and prize will be divided into several categories such as professionals, amateurs and those who are starting in this field. There will be seven judges, two of them international.
- What is the idea of \u200b\u200bthe award?
The idea is to launch mid-year in Bogotá, but we will have offices in some universities in the Colombian Caribbean, because one of the objectives of the Foundation is to help artists, Latin American photographers and those who have not been recognized.
few years ago, I made an exhibition of Frida Kahlo in Mexico at the Museo Estudio Diego Rivera and we came with that system because the blind, touching the picture below and described, almost perfectly, the characteristics of image. For example, said that Frida had long eyebrows, described how she was dressed, said that Leo Matiz was chubby, I loved Mexico and was a good friend of Frida.
That in Colombia has not done, and would be a way of creating culture, because a person who begins to play art leaves bullets. If you are born in the midst of arms and bullets, and then you find another world, the art, I'm sure people would stop violence and to change society we have today.
- What's Next for 2006?
It is planned to create a documentation center in the north of the city to teach all those interested in learning photography, to build a good marquetry and take the hands of all those little things I learned in Italy when I studied art restoration, as the photos are gems and we start to see them as they are. The exhibition of Latin American women will go to Australia and hopes work on the Mexican Revolution are photos taken by my dad and now serve in 2007 marks 100 years of the Mexican Revolution and 100 years since the birth of Frida Kahlo.
- How was the life of his father, What he remembers?
My Dad suffered greatly. He lost an eye in an accident very strong in 1970 in San Victorino (center of Bogotá). That day, a guy, for stealing the camera, gave a fist with a thick ring, buried him in the eye. What he did not know who was beating one of the greatest photographers of the world. He had to work without an eye and the other almost did not see, so I dedicated myself to help after seeing that tragedy.
He was very visionary before the accident. 50 years ago saw in a dream that he lost an eye. In the dream, an angel came and took him to the eye. He said that he ran behind his eye, but the flying angel and I could not reach. But I felt a strange peace because he understood that his eye was going to heaven not by malice, but out of love.
That was terrible. My father said: 'If is important an eye for a horse, how about for a photographer. " He began to die, he went to his farm in Fusagasugá (Cundinamarca) and did not want to leave or return to photography. At that time I lived between Venezuela and Italy. I came to Colombia, I went to the farm and since I yelled out that if I stayed out in front of the house, day and night, until I received. After 12 hours, went down. I convinced him to return to the world of photography, took him to Bogotá, he started working at a magazine, made him a tribute at the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá and was reborn again.
- How was this rebirth?
My father began to live again with what he called his third eye, it was not but feel the picture. At some point even told me that he worked with his third eye, which did not need to see to know where he had a photograph because the felt. And so was born his latest book called 'The men in the field', a book that makes a blind man almost six months before his death and in a state difficult as suffering cirrhosis of the liver in advanced degree, and still managed to publish it.
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