May 18, 2025

Doris Salcedo, Colombian artist - giving voice to victims of violence

22 minutes

In an interview from the BBC’s This Cultural Life, presenter John Wilson speaks to the Colombian artist Doris Salcedo.

Her work is a response to the devastation of war, and tells the stories of its victims - tales of loss, trauma and survival. She is recognised as one of the most important living artists, and her powerful sculptures and installations have been shown across the world.

A childhood growing up amid the political violence of Colombia led to career dedicated to giving voice to the victims of conflict, visiting concentration camps, mass graves and abandoned villages. She says she wants to place herself where there is nothing left but loss.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: John Wilson

Producers: Lucy Sheppard, Ben Cooper

Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

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