As the Silleteros carried people and their belongings through routes impossible by horse carriage, so do I carry my Art Pieces to the world.
A Colorful walk through Colombian History:
Medellin is known as the “City of Eternal Spring” – but this isn't because of its climate, but rather due to the year-long cultivation of flowers and the Feria de las Flores!
In 1957, the first version of La Feria de Las Flores took place. Since then, it has grown into an iconic event in the city of Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia, comparable to the famous Carnival in Rio de Janeiro or Oktoberfest in Bavaria, Germany.
Artisans manufactured wooden structures with handles, which were used as a way of transporting both goods and members of the higher social classes on the steep roads of the Andean mountains during the colonial era.
Later, these wooden structures, called “Silletas“, were used by the peasants who grew flowers to carry large amounts on their backs to bring them into town for sale.
Many peasants walked for hours with the Silletas on their backs, most notably from the eastern town of Santa Elena to the center of Medellín.
The descent of the Silleteros to the city was celebrated as a festival, becoming a celebration that unites all sectors of the paisa society and that is held regularly in the month of August every year. This celebration, although modest, lasted 5 days. Compare that to today where the duration has doubled to 10 days.
In 2022, the Flower Festival generated $30 million USD. Safe to say that today, this event is the biggest and most colorful in the city. People even travel up the valley to the town of Santa Elena to observe the preparation of the “Silletas”.
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By 1930, the production and export of flowers made the Department of Antioquia the world’s second largest exporter of flowers, after the Netherlands.
Today, more than 235,000 tons of flowers are exported amongst 1600 different species, with a value of approximately $279 million USD annually.
As an artist that comes straight from the small town of the Silleteros; Santa ELena. I find myself taking alot of inspiration from my beautiful land and culture.
Having lived in New York City for more than a decade, just to move back to my origins, you can only imagine that my art carries many stories within it...
Are you interested in my Art Work?
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You may know me as the Colombian Bob Ross,
since I paint beautiful landscapes
