Skin of Memory: Barrio Antioquia, Past, Present, and Future
(PIEL DEL MEMORIA: BARRIO ANTIOGUIA PASADO, PRESENTE, Y FUTURO)
Suzanne Lacy, Pilar Riano, Vickie Rameriz, Raul Cabra, and Mauricio Hoyes (Medellin, Colombia, 1998-9)

Barrio Antioquia, in the middle of Medellin, Colombia, is an old community with a rich, varied, and sometimes tragic history, one which includes loss, stigmatization, and violence as a common experience for several generations. Death and disability are familiar companions of young people in particular, in this community that has seen civil war, violence from drug trafficking and youth gangs, and was at one time established by the City as a legalized prostitution zone. In spite of this history and a community economy often dependent upon illegal activities, residents of its 2000 households have a strong sense of pride in a resilient and expressive culture with deep familial connections.

Colombian anthropologist Pilar Riaño, currently living in Canada, has worked on memory, loss, resiliency, and community revival for years in this Barrio. Riaño's work has been instrumental in creating venues for community remembering and was the galvanizing force for this project. Residents of Barrio Antioquia and a coalition of local organizations, including Accion Comunal Barrio Trinidad, Comfenalco, Corporación Presencia Colombo Suiza, Corporación Región, and Edúcame, invited Riaño and Suzanne Lacy to produce a public art project to re-create a lost sense of community through art, celebration, and fostering interaction.