Sebastián León-Giraldo

Pobre Pobreza: Varias Miradas was a collaborative project between the Escuela de Gobierno Alberto Lleras Camargo and the Department of Art at Universidad de los Andes. The project aimed to challenge and explore the notion of poverty through various artistic and scholarly lenses. It included an itinerant exhibition, a website, and a catalog. Initially launched with an exhibition at the Julio Mario Santo Domingo gallery from February 2 to 21, 2015, the project received significant attention through press coverage, public lectures, and organized forums.

The project adopted an interdisciplinary curatorial approach, integrating perspectives from public policy, art, economics, literature, history, and anthropology. It incorporated a participatory focus, including voices from communities experiencing poverty across Colombia. The project collaborated with several public and international partners such as UNICEF, ANSPE, UNDP, and the National Museum of Colombia.

As a research assistant for the Pobre Pobreza project, I was involved in the qualitative component of the study. My responsibilities included conducting focus groups and leading the participatory photography component. We traveled to various communities around the country to gather perspectives on poverty. This participatory approach was crucial in ensuring that the project authentically represented the voices and experiences of those directly affected by poverty. The insights gained from these qualitative analyses contributed to the project’s interdisciplinary framework and its overall impact.

This project not only broadened my understanding of poverty but also demonstrated the powerful role of art and interdisciplinary research in addressing complex social issues.