Bogotá-based painter Sair García paints subtly uncanny scenes, often very quiet ones, that nevertheless manage to convey an aura of anxiety and impending drama. In the past, the artist has alluded to strife in his native Colombia, often regarding the crisis of displaced refugees.

In one series of paintings of fishing villages, Garcia presents ramshackle stilted houses painted in brilliant colors, set against gloomy, empty backdrops. The contrast reads like the opening of a horror movie: The viewers might not know what exactly will happen, but they know it’s not going to be good. 

Sair García, Untitled (2019). Courtesy of Galería Duque Arango.

In his latest series, “La arqueología del oficio,” those cinematic tendencies become even more concrete. García’s works reimagine scenes from the films of Greek director Theo Angelópoulos. Angelópoulos, who died in 2012, was known for creating hypnotic and sweeping films that quietly explored Greek political and humanitarian crises. Though the paintings hint at political themes, an eerie sense of silence is best conveyed by the canvases’ large, empty passages. For García, who made the series during quarantine, these works were a way to reframe his art within a larger global context. “The experience [of quarantine] has led me to reflect much more deeply on the true role of art in society,” said Garcia. 

See images from “La arqueología del oficio” below. 

Sair García, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of Galería Duque Arango.

Sair García, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of Galería Duque Arango.

Sair García, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of Galería Duque Arango.

Sair García, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of Galería Duque Arango.

Sair García, Untitled (2020). Courtesy of Galería Duque Arango.