Erika Diettes Collection
Collection
Identifier: Image Archive-Collection 73
Scope and Contents
2005-2018 The Erika Diettes Photograph Collection consists of 9 linear feet of color and black and white prints of several art photographic series created by Colombian photographer and artist, Erika Diettes, and the subsequent exhibitions of her work throughout Colombia and around the world. Diettes' work uses images of and related to the victims of the decades long armed conflict in Colombia in part to create visual art pieces that provide a means through which to memorialize their lives and to provide a vehicle through which survivors can also be heard. Each visual art series builds upon the other in an on-going "uninterrupted dialogue."
To that end, the collection of photographic prints and related published and ephemeral works is arranged chronologically by series devoted to each visual art series and exhibitions: Río Abajo - Drifting Away (2008), A punta de sangre (2009), Sudarios/Shrouds (2011) and Relicarios (2011-2016).
To that end, the collection of photographic prints and related published and ephemeral works is arranged chronologically by series devoted to each visual art series and exhibitions: Río Abajo - Drifting Away (2008), A punta de sangre (2009), Sudarios/Shrouds (2011) and Relicarios (2011-2016).
Dates
- 2005-2018
Creator
- Diettes, Erika, b. 1978 (Photographer, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open to the public. No known restrictions.
Biographical / Historical
Erika Diettes (Cali, Colombia, 1978) is a visual artist with a degree in social communication from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. This dual focus on visual art and communication is reflected in her art and in her publications which establish an intimate dialogue between the work and its audience. She also holds a M.A. in Anthropology from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, with a thesis published by UniAndes in which she examines a concrete family situation and the mediation of television images on the process of mourning the loss of loved ones. Diettes incorporates in her work the intellectual framework provided by her academic training, resulting in a synthesis of image, message and process, a trifecta that stands as a conceptual and formal base that undergirds the body of work she has produced.
Her 2005 work Silencios/Silences explores the condensation of images of loved ones who were victims of Nazi atrocities in the 1930s and 40s in the testimonies of Jewish survivors from Shoa who arrived in Colombia as refugees. From that first work, Diettes turned her gaze to the sociopolitical situation in her country and began a process of engaging with victims of the Colombian armed conflict, which determined the subsequent path of her work, at the same time that it offered a vehicle for survivors to be heard. It is from this uninterrupted dialogue that she produced a series of works: Río Abajo (2008), A punta de sangre (2009), Sudarios (2011), and Relicarios (2011-2016). Each series is not an isolated production but rather, one after the other, they weave together as a whole in Diettes’ process of exploration. During this time she also produced two textual publications Silencios (2005) and Memento Mori (2016), through which she explores a new language which nonetheless emerges from her visual work.
Erika Diettes has exhibited in such venues as the Fine Arts Museum in Houston, Centro Cultural Recoleta (Buenos Aires), ExTeresa Arte Actual (Mexico City), and in various institutions in the United States, Spain, Australia, Poland, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Chile.
In Colombia, she has presented exhibitions in the principal museums of the country such as Museo de Antioquia, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, Museo Nacional de Colombia and Museo de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. In addition to these more traditional venues, Diettes has made use of churches to exhibit works such as Río Abajo and Sudarios. This is not by chance, since in the case of Sudarios, for example, the spectator is confronted with a work which from its beginnings was destined to be presented in these kinds of sacred spaces. In fact, one art critic, Charles Guice, expressly emphasizes the importance of the symbolic spaces in which the exhibition is inserted: “Presenting the work in churches, Diettes elevates their burden to a spiritual one, their suffering acknowledged and dignified in that most sacred of spaces. The larger-than-life-size scale overwhelms us, as if to suggest the enormity of the violence that lay hidden behind their eyes, and like martyrs seeking redemption, their presence invites us to share in their burden. We are spared their individual horrors but, taking form in our imagination, their torment is enough to envisage our own.”
Currently, Erika Diettes’ art is internationally acclaimed thanks not only to the various countries where she has exhibited, but also to the accolades she has received. In 2015, she was a finalist for the Visionary Awards to which she was nominated by Alasdair Foster, Director of the Australian Centre for Photography who learned of Sudarios when it was exhibited in Sydney. More recently, Diettes was awarded a creative fellowship by Tim Hetherington and the World Press Photo Foundation Fellowship (2017-2018).
Her 2005 work Silencios/Silences explores the condensation of images of loved ones who were victims of Nazi atrocities in the 1930s and 40s in the testimonies of Jewish survivors from Shoa who arrived in Colombia as refugees. From that first work, Diettes turned her gaze to the sociopolitical situation in her country and began a process of engaging with victims of the Colombian armed conflict, which determined the subsequent path of her work, at the same time that it offered a vehicle for survivors to be heard. It is from this uninterrupted dialogue that she produced a series of works: Río Abajo (2008), A punta de sangre (2009), Sudarios (2011), and Relicarios (2011-2016). Each series is not an isolated production but rather, one after the other, they weave together as a whole in Diettes’ process of exploration. During this time she also produced two textual publications Silencios (2005) and Memento Mori (2016), through which she explores a new language which nonetheless emerges from her visual work.
Erika Diettes has exhibited in such venues as the Fine Arts Museum in Houston, Centro Cultural Recoleta (Buenos Aires), ExTeresa Arte Actual (Mexico City), and in various institutions in the United States, Spain, Australia, Poland, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Chile.
In Colombia, she has presented exhibitions in the principal museums of the country such as Museo de Antioquia, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, Museo Nacional de Colombia and Museo de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. In addition to these more traditional venues, Diettes has made use of churches to exhibit works such as Río Abajo and Sudarios. This is not by chance, since in the case of Sudarios, for example, the spectator is confronted with a work which from its beginnings was destined to be presented in these kinds of sacred spaces. In fact, one art critic, Charles Guice, expressly emphasizes the importance of the symbolic spaces in which the exhibition is inserted: “Presenting the work in churches, Diettes elevates their burden to a spiritual one, their suffering acknowledged and dignified in that most sacred of spaces. The larger-than-life-size scale overwhelms us, as if to suggest the enormity of the violence that lay hidden behind their eyes, and like martyrs seeking redemption, their presence invites us to share in their burden. We are spared their individual horrors but, taking form in our imagination, their torment is enough to envisage our own.”
Currently, Erika Diettes’ art is internationally acclaimed thanks not only to the various countries where she has exhibited, but also to the accolades she has received. In 2015, she was a finalist for the Visionary Awards to which she was nominated by Alasdair Foster, Director of the Australian Centre for Photography who learned of Sudarios when it was exhibited in Sydney. More recently, Diettes was awarded a creative fellowship by Tim Hetherington and the World Press Photo Foundation Fellowship (2017-2018).
Extent
9 Linear Feet (3 O-ring binder clamshell boxes, 3 archival binders, 1 upright document clamshell box, and 4 oversize lidded archival boxes.)
816 Pieces
Arrangement
The collection materials are arranged chronologically in the order of their creation and exhibition:
Series I. "Río Abajo - Drifting Away" and "A Punta de Sangre" exhibitions, 2008-2012, Box 1, pp. 1-62
Sub-Series A. "Río Abajo - Drifting Away", Regiones, 2008-2010, Binder 1, pp. 1-38
Series II. "Sudarios/Shrouds" exhibitions, 2011-2013, Box 2, pp. 1-60
Sub-Series B. "Río Abajo" and "Sudarios" exhibitions, 2014, Binder 2, pp. 1-25
Sub-Series C. Exhibition ephemera, journal articles, and artwork, 2008-2014, Box 3
Series III. "Relicarios" exhibitions, 2010-2017, Oversize boxes 1-4
Sub-Series D. "Relicarios" donations, 2012, Binder 3, pp. 1-12
Sub-Series E. "Relicario"s exhibition in the Museo de Antioquia, Colombia, 2016, Binder 3, pp. 13-32
Sub-Series F. "Relicarios" exhibition in the Escuela de Cadetes de la Policía, Colombia, 2017, Binder 3, pp. 36-40
Sub-Series G. "Relicarios" exhibition in the Central Cultural de Memoria in Argentina, 2017, Binder 3, pp. 41-45; Box 4, pp. 46-53
Sub-Series H. "Relicarios" exhibition in the Museo de Artes Visuales, Colombia, 2018, Box 4, pp. 54-63
Series I. "Río Abajo - Drifting Away" and "A Punta de Sangre" exhibitions, 2008-2012, Box 1, pp. 1-62
Sub-Series A. "Río Abajo - Drifting Away", Regiones, 2008-2010, Binder 1, pp. 1-38
Series II. "Sudarios/Shrouds" exhibitions, 2011-2013, Box 2, pp. 1-60
Sub-Series B. "Río Abajo" and "Sudarios" exhibitions, 2014, Binder 2, pp. 1-25
Sub-Series C. Exhibition ephemera, journal articles, and artwork, 2008-2014, Box 3
Series III. "Relicarios" exhibitions, 2010-2017, Oversize boxes 1-4
Sub-Series D. "Relicarios" donations, 2012, Binder 3, pp. 1-12
Sub-Series E. "Relicario"s exhibition in the Museo de Antioquia, Colombia, 2016, Binder 3, pp. 13-32
Sub-Series F. "Relicarios" exhibition in the Escuela de Cadetes de la Policía, Colombia, 2017, Binder 3, pp. 36-40
Sub-Series G. "Relicarios" exhibition in the Central Cultural de Memoria in Argentina, 2017, Binder 3, pp. 41-45; Box 4, pp. 46-53
Sub-Series H. "Relicarios" exhibition in the Museo de Artes Visuales, Colombia, 2018, Box 4, pp. 54-63
Separated Materials
Five published monographs held within the Latin American Library's Rare Book collection. Click on each title to see the catalog record for availability and location:
1). Silencios (2005)
2). Drifting away=Rio Abajo (2009)
3). Rio Abajo (2009)
4). Sudarios (2012)
5). Memento mori: testament to life (2015)
1). Silencios (2005)
2). Drifting away=Rio Abajo (2009)
3). Rio Abajo (2009)
4). Sudarios (2012)
5). Memento mori: testament to life (2015)
- Conceptual art -- Exhibitions Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Disappeared persons in art Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Disappeared persons' families Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Disappeared persons' spouses Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Medellin, Colombia Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Political violence -- Colombia Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
- Political violence -- Colombia -- Psychological aspects Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- War victims -- Clothing -- Pictorial works Subject Source: Local sources
- Women photographers Subject Source: Library Of Congress Subject Headings
Creator
- Diettes, Erika, b. 1978 (Photographer, Person)
- Title
- Erika Diettes Collection
- Subtitle
- Photograph Collection 73, Image Archive, The Latin American Library at Tulane University
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Christine Hernández
- Date
- June 1, 2019
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Edition statement
- First edition, 2019
Repository Details
Part of the The Latin American Library at Tulane Repository
Contact:
7001 Freret Street
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, 4th floor
Tulane University
New Orleans Louisiana 70118 US
(504) 865-5681
lal@tulane.edu
7001 Freret Street
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, 4th floor
Tulane University
New Orleans Louisiana 70118 US
(504) 865-5681
lal@tulane.edu
