Colombian artist Oscar Muñoz is the recipient of the 2018 Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography for the sum of SEK 1,000,000 (approx. USD 125,000). The award ceremony takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden on October 8, 2018. A symposium will be held on October 9 in honour of Oscar Muñoz, followed by the opening of an exhibition of his work at the Hasselblad Center, and the release of a new book about the artist, published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König.

The exhibition at the Hasselblad Center will include older as well as recent series, several of which invite the visitors to interact with the works. The iconic piece Aliento (1995-2002) is activated when the viewer breathes on mirrors, making portraits briefly appear and disappear as quickly. The installation Ambulatorio from 1994 is inspired by a bombing in the city of Cali and is a large scale aerial photograph of the city. The photograph is placed on the floor. As the visitors walk on it, the glass protecting the image shatters. The exhibition also includes the works Narcisos en proceso (Narcissus in Process), 1995-2011, El Coleccionista (The Collector), as well as a new work, Atlas Leve, 2018, being shown for the first time.

“Oscar Muñoz’s is one of the most significant contemporary artists in Latin America. His works revolve around time and memory, subjects that are central to photography. He uses ephemeral materials and engages the viewer in installations that explore existential and political questions, often referring to the recent history of Colombia. We are looking forward to a intriguing exhibition to accompany the Hasselblad Award,” note Louise Wolthers and Dragana Vujanović Östlind, curators of the Hasselblad Award exhibition.