SINFON - Key Persons
The Colombian artist Alberto Baraya questions with his installations, videos, drawings and the use of found objects, the scientific classification of plants in the name of science and challenges post-colonial society. Alberto works as a lecturer and teacher in Bogotá.
Andrés studied Performing Arts. He is father, son, companion and sower, dancer, actor and playwright, pedagogue with experience in the design and implementation of alternative curricula aimed at various population groups, cultural manager and researcher. Lover of the jungle and indigenous culture, faithful believer in dialogue and the exchange of knowledge aimed at rebuilding a conscious, fraternal and harmonious humanity.
Job Titles:
- Anthropologist and Cultural Manager
Bayron develops research and social intervention processes in the Northwest Amazon on intercultural education, community communication, political participation and governance. It is a cultural dynamizer, focused on research processes -creation around manifestations such as traditional dance, oral narration, mythology and heritage-. He has produced written, visual and sound pedagogical material for intercultural educational processes in the Vaupés region.
Job Titles:
- Director of Alexander Von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute
Brigitte L.G. Baptiste, is since 2019 the rector of the EAN University in Colombia, was for the last 10 years the director of the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and belongs among the most renowned experts on environmental management and biodiversity of Colombia. Brigitte represents Colombia at several international environment organisations, as the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Caridad Botella (Madrid, 1977) is an independent curator and arts and film critic. Caridad has a degree in Art History from Universidad Complutense, Madrid, and completed her master's degrees in Museology at Reinwardt Academy and Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Caridad writes for a number of international publications, as for Artpulse Magazine, Artnexus and Second Sight.
Carolina Riaño Gómez was born in Bogotá, Colombia and studied music theatre at the University of Arts Folkwang in Essen, Germany. She has stage experience, among others, with the Vienna Chamber Choir, Choir of the Baden-Baden Festival, as a soloist at the Opera in Dortmund and Düsseldorf and at the theatre Schaubühne in Berlin. In the Latin-American music area, she has participated in the A Capella band "Chocolate com Laranja" and in the duo with the Chilean Rodrigo Santa María.
Charlotte is an internationally renowned environmental expert. In 2004 she co-founded the Climate Focus, a climate advisory firm with offices in Amsterdam, Washington, Bogota and Berlin. In addition to providing advice on how to tackle climate change, Charlotte works at the interfaces between art and the environment, on projects that raise awareness about environmental threats. She holds a PhD in law and a Master of Biological Sciences.
After theatre studies with Philippe Gaulier in London, Christoph produced and directed numerous plays in Passau, where he graduated in European Studies. After working as Robert Wilson's personal assistant and assistant director, Christoph now works closely with Thomas Ostermeier at Berlin's Schaubühne.
Daniel Castilla Galán is a versatile composer for audiovisual media and musical productions. He dominates workflows in design processes and sound montages, both for film formats and for unconventional stages and events.
Fernando Arias is a visual artist who investigates the human condition through the means of video, photography, installation and action. Conflict, sexuality, religion, politics and society, are recurring themes in his work. He currently lives between Bogotá and the Nuquí, where he creates with Más Arte Más Acción and in cooperation with artists and writers that engage in social and environmental topics, interdisciplinary artistic projects.
Colombian Artist, Cultural Manager and Activist interested in the relations art, thought, social reflection and contexts. Director and Manager Casa Guillermo 1998-2000, Founder and Manager of the World Archive of Performance PAS 2007-2020, Founder and Manager of International Biennial of Performance PerfoARTnet 2008-2020, Director and Manager of the project Art Socially Committed. Pertuz researches and publishes since 2007 in diverse media and magazines. Pertuz has done performance, urban intervention and work with communities since the nineties. The participation of spectators and communities is fundamental in the development of the proposal.
Job Titles:
- Independent Consultant
- Professor, Writer and First Director
Gustavo Wilches-Chaux devoted his life to environmental education and public information, participatory risk management and climate adaptation, having in his hands post-disaster reconstruction processes after the earthquakes that destroyed the city of Popayán and the region of Tierradentro. Gustavo works as an independent consultant, university professor and writer, seeking to include communities at risk with their knowledge and their local tools.
Job Titles:
- Economist
- Environmental Expert
Javier Ortiz Bahamón is an Economist, MBA and Specialist in Rural Development, and has worked as a consultant in conservation and rural development for private and public institutions in Colombia, with emphasis in the Amazon Region.
José Roca is currently Estrellita B. Brodsky Adjunct Curator of Latin American Art at Tate, London and artistic director of FLORA ars+natura, which is a space to discuss the connection between contemporary art, nature and culture. José is curator of several expositions in Latin America, Europe, United States and Asia, as of the I Poly/graphic Triennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 27th Biennial of São Paulo, Brazil and chief curator of the 8th Bienal do Mercosul in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Job Titles:
- Production Manager
- Scientist
- Environmental Planner
Juan Pablo is an environmental planner and climate change expert. Juan Pablo currently heads up the Climate Focus branch based in Colombia, whose aim is to strengthen the company's commitment towards the development of low carbon development strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Juanita es cantante, músico de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá y cuenta con una especialización en Composición y arreglos de Jazz de Berklee School of Music. Se ha dedicado a estudiar la música de tradición popular de diferentes partes de Colombia y América. Su música se ha podido escuchar en diferentes teatros al rededor del mundo. Actualmente estudia la Maestría Interdisciplinar en Teatro y Artes Vivas en la Universidad Nacional en Bogotá.
Job Titles:
- Professor of University of Los Andes ( Colombia ), First Minister of Environment of Colombia
Manuel Rodríguez Becerra was the first Minister of Environment of Colombia and is now tenured professor at the University of the Andes. He is also president of the Foro Nacional Ambiental(National Environment Forum), founding member of the Plataforma Climática Latinoamericana (Latinamerican Climate Forum), as also columnist of the El Tiempo newspaper and author of numerous publications.
Martin is a freelance photographer with the topics of travel photography focused on photojournalism and art photography. Martin has been part of the SINFONÍA TRÓPICO Festivals since 2015, documenting the daily life of the workshops until he final presentations. He lives in Regensburg, Germany.
Social Communicator from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogota with an emphasis on organizational, music and performing arts. Journalist and presenter of the entertainment section of Caracol News from 2017 to 2020 and host of the Bla Bla Blu program on Blu radio in the second half of 2020. She currently works as independent press officer and head of public relations for different artists and personalities, while recording his first music album.
Mateo Perez studied Philosophy and Literature at the Andes University before he took classes at the International Center of Photography, ICP (2000-2001) in New York. Over the last decade, he has worked as a freelance photographer and as a teacher and researcher at the Faculty of Arts at the Javeriana University in Bogotá. With his photography, Mateo explores the boundaries between urban and rural and the experimental possibilities of the photographic language.
Matthias studied fashion design at the Lette-Verein in Berlin. As a designer, he participated in numerous fashion shows, as a costume designer he cooperated with various theater productions. He is passionate about working with children and teenagers, gives guitar lessons, paints, and is engaged in a wide range of artistic projects. He lives in Freiburg, Germany.
Miguel Cardenas is an artist from Bogotá. He obtained his painting degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2005 he obtained a master's degree in visual arts at Columbia University and received the prize Agnes Martin in painting. In 2007 he joined as a lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts at Columbia University. His work has been exhibited in the collection of the Museum of Pereira, the Art Museum of Cartagena and the permanent collection of the Banco de la República in Bogotá.
Miguel Navas is a colombian composer and music producer. Miguel's work is notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional Colombian music.
Nelson Vergara investigates the development of reactive and generative systems for objects and media rooms, the relation between time and space and his body and media languages. Nelson is professor at the Department of Arts from the National University of Colombia, Bogotá, and is guest lecturer at the University of Arts and Media of Cologne.
Nils Ostendorf has developed a unique approach to playing the trumpet, inspired by natural sounds, experimental and electronic music. He also works internationally as a composer, musical director, producer and live performer for theatre and dance productions, collaborating with directors like Mikael Serre, Marius von Mayenburg, Yael Ronen and Thomas Ostermeier.
Peter Ruehle is a Berlin based painter. Mainly working in classic techniques, he is also working with new media and materials. Peter is working in series: e.g. he developed a unique form of land- and cityscape paintings as well as dark portraits, time chronicles, collages and sky paintings. Peter's works are represented in eminent collections and have been shown in cities like Berlin, New York, Beijing, New Delhi, Rome and Los Angeles.
René is a dancer and choreographer with more than 18 years of experience in traditional Afro, Colombian and Cuban dance. He has studied with renowned dancers and finished his dance studies at ISA in la Habana, Cuba. He is currently director and choreographer of the company Zarabanda Danza Afro, Dancer of the company of L'Explosion Contemporary Dance, creator of AfroJam Colombia and afro dance teacher at the Zajana Danza school.
Robert works as musician, visual artist and set designer in Berlin. He is co-fonder of the musical projects Ornament und Verbrechen and To Rococo Rot. Known for his expansive imagination, inventive rhythmic reflexes, and layers of fuzzy tones, Lippok's solo work is just as wide-ranging.
Job Titles:
- Production and Environmental Expert
Sandra is an ecologist with a master degree in environmental management. She has an extensive experience in mobilizing local development and peace building programs in conflicted contexts in Colombia, as well as a broad knowledge in strategies and transformation of socio-environmental conflicts. She is passionate about photography.
Santiago is a doublebass player and improviser graduated from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Santiago is the musical director of MULA and EL OMBLIGO and he co-directs LOS TOSCOS, a collaborative platform between music masters of the world and musicians from Bogotá. He is also professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia).
Sebastian Chalela M. is an independent artist, writer, translator and Martial Arts instructor. He graduated as an Artist and later as a Journalism Specialist, both from Los Andes University. He then completed his Master's Degree in Hispanic Philology at CSIC, Madrid. He has published two novels, a poem collection and a documentary book about the city of Bogota. Today he juggles his time between creative activity, translation, and his very own Dojo.
The work of the artist Sylvia Jaimes Niño moves between the visual arts and the performing arts. It usually consists of ephemeral virtual structures or compositions; oevres that transform or disappear. Sylvia investigates ways to plastically address the body and voice.
Tatiana Arocha (1974) is a New York-born Colombian artist, living in Brooklyn on Lenape ancestral lands. Her art practice explores intimacy between people and land, rooted in personal memory and her immigrant experience, and centers on community through public art interventions and transdisciplinary knowledge exchange.
Tatiana Arocha (1974) es una artista colombiana nacida en Nueva York. Vive en Brooklyn en las tierras ancestrales de los Lenape. Su práctica artística explora la intimidad entre las personas y la tierra, arraigada en la memoria personal y su experiencia como inmigrante. Se centra en la comunidad a través de intervenciones de arte público y el intercambio de conocimientos transdisciplinarios.
Torsten Ruehle is a German painter. He studied law and arts in Dresden and Hamburg. His art is influenced by Arno Rink and Hanns Schimansky, both teachers of Torsten. He has shown his works internationally and closely cooperates with his brother Peter Ruehle.
The multimedia artist Zaji Chalem is specialized in audiovisual languages with a strong interest for the organization, design and sense of physical space. He is a visual thinker with precise technical abilities and is highly recognized as a designer and expert in incorporation of information technologies and the communication in museums, special events and media spaces. Zaji is currently working as an Audiovisual Solutions Advisor at Nexsys de Colombia.