Medellin, the Colombian City of Art and Plastic

March 8, 2011. I had 5 days left with the Gorditas to explore Medellin before restarting work in Grameen Foundation’s regional office for another week. My first two targets were the art galleries and best restaurants that the city had to offer. Medellin is the second largest city in Colombia, though often referred to as a town, and capital of the Antioquia region. The exact opposite of Cartagena, Medellin is a landlocked, bustling city in the Aberra Valley, surrounded by the Andes mountains, and studded with high rises and skyscrapers.

There are two predominantly blatant aspects of the city’s culture to look out for. Outside of LA, I haven’t seen as much plastic on both men and women until arriving here. Cosmetic surgery is apparently commonplace in several South American countries, most so in Venezuela, as every young woman’s dream is to qualify into national and international beauty pageants. This enthusiasm extends to a girl’s entire family, and parents save up for the various “enhancements” that can determine her future “success.” The second, and more praiseworthy, is the enthusiasm and talent for art, which is displayed in galleries, museums, private homes, and most passionately on the city’s walls. Across from the Museum of Modern Art, we discovered some of the most impressive graffiti art.

Medellin graffiti art

More graffiti art


Chance upon a photo shoot amidst the art


Incredible local talent

Door to the Museum of Modern Art

Colombia’s most famous sculptor and painter, Fernando Botero, boasts museums all across the country, displaying his world-renowned art. He is particularly famous for his crude depictions of so-called fat people, claiming, “I fatten my characters to give them sensuality. I’m not interested in fat people for the sake of fat people.” I’m glad he cleared that up. Irrespective of one’s preferences, Botero’s art continues to fascinate. Even you are likely to have seen his work and not have realized it.

Botero painting in the Museum of Antioquia

Botero's Adam and Eve

We wished we had planned enough time to visit Eje Cafetero, where the majority of Colombian coffee is grown and produced. The Paisa region is known for its lush terrain, which nurtures coffee cultivation and the country’s native Wax palm tree. With the little time we had for day trips, we instead visited Guatape, a small town on the outskirts of Medellin. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and limited the spectacular views offered from the top of the Penon de Guatape, a 70 million year old rock, taking 644 steps to ascend. The rock borders the lake, which intriguingly flows through inlets and outlets of land, giving the illusion of hundreds of islands floating across the horizon. It’s absolutely stunning.

Penon de Guatape

View of the lake from the moutain top

Another view of the lake

Homes in the small town of Guatape

Inside a church in the town

Sidewalk stools

Medellin is a party town, and different barrios offer very different scenes to choose from. We had an absolute blast, and I was going to miss my girls as they departed in twos for home. It was time to get to work, and while I realized the foolishness around my planning, absent of foresight around the difficulty of transitioning from vacation to work mode overnight, I was still looking forward to another few days in the art city with my colleagues.