Doris Salcedo

Doris Salcedo's work is extremely moving as it represents a sociological view. Through her work, she aims to represent the silenced lives of the marginalize, whether it be individual victims of violence or the disempowered of the Third World. Her work incorporates the struggles of such people in hopes of making viewers aware and moved. This particular work titled Noviembre 6 y 7, Salcedo used 1,550 purple and yellow chairs nestled between two buildings in Columbia. The colors she chose reflect the look of brown when viewing from afar. She was commemorating the political massacre of 1985. She placed each chair over a 53 hour period, which was the duration of the seige. The chairs seem to represent people who may be, but should not be, forgotten; people who once occupied a space in time and are no longer there. The feeling of this installation artwork is that of remembrance, but also of awareness. By choosing to create this piece in the original place of the event was risky as it must have stirred old memories and past grievances, hard times, and personal emotions.