Colombia

A sustained artistic practice in conflict-affected Colombia offers a perspective on locally authored public art, ecological relationships and cultural symbolism. The study draws on Boris Arteaga’s decades of community mural facilitation.

Practice and inquiry

The case examines collective composition and engagement through works including Equilibrio de la Naturaleza, Tejido Ancestral and Pueblo Renacido. Its interpretation attends to community meaning-making and the ways artistic work continues through local practice.

Method and interpretation

The case combines ethnographic field relationships, arts-based inquiry and semi-structured interviews. Benjamin interprets the accounts through expressive arts, salutogenesis and conflict transformation, attending to the interplay of collective creation, witnessing and continuing local action.

Limits and next questions

The dissertation did not conduct quantitative Neuroarts studies. Time, funding and the conditions of active conflict constrained the research. These accounts do not establish measured clinical effects or universal causation. Further work could compare community participants’ and witnesses’ experiences and combine qualitative inquiry with psychological or physiological measures.

Source: Artegenesis Phenomenon, Chapter V, cross-case discussion in Chapter VIII and limitations in Section 9.2. Chapter numbering follows the dissertation.