Touring the art gallery of the University of Los Andes with Lucas Ospina.

The art gallery of the University of Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia.

In Bogota with PROOF

Recently, PROOF’s Executive Director, Leora Kahn, traveled to Bogota, Colombia, to begin finalizing plans for the Legacy of Rape Exhibition, set to travel through Colombia this coming May 2014. In Bogota, Leora met with Lucas Ospina, Head of the Art Department at the University of Los Andes, and joined him on a tour of the art gallery (photographed below), which will be the home of the exhibition during its stay in Bogota. Ospina, one of Colombia’s most accomplished artists, will be designing the exhibition. The University of Los Andes was one of PROOF’s partners for the Legacy of Rape project in Colombia, in addition to UNFPA and UNHCR, who will also fund the project as it moves around Colombia.

In Cartagena with PROOF

After their stay in Bogota, the PROOF team traveled to Cartagena to meet with Alvaro Restrepo. Restrepo was born and raised in Colombia, and has since established himself globally as a respected dancer and choreographer. Alvaro trained in New York and first made his mark in Europe, but found his true passion back home in Colombia, teaching contemporary dance to disadvantaged youth in Bogota and Cali, eventually bridging his work to Cartagena, as well. Alvaro’s teaching style is more than simply dance lessons. He teaches students all aspects about their body, and also tries to incorporate Colombia’s troublesome history involving race, terrorism, and exile into his work. Because of Alvaro’s success, many children have come to realize that they, too, can live healthy and creative lives. PROOF is commissioning a dance piece choreographed by Restrepo, which will go along with the opening of the Legacy of Rape Exhibition, as it travels throughout Colombia.