Estaban Salazar

Giving form to materials like glass and light is a particularly meaningful
experience for me, as it forces me to examine events and places staged
in between my memory and my imagination. I am a glass blower and
installation artist with a strong interest in architectural glass and
lighting. My work explores multiple social, political and personal
tensions; mainly inspired by events that took place in Colombia in the
decades of the 80’s and 90’s.  Arguably, at that moment in time, the
most dangerous place in the world. With my work I attempt to evoke a
feel of empathy for my generation by merging symbolism and medium with
collective memory.

While working on my graduate studies, I've narrow the central theme of my
work on exploring the symbolic meaning of cracks, fissures and
fractures. I investigate the metaphor of these elements and their
relation to the human condition. By definition a crack is the split of a
 surface, the space where things separate. In my work, cracks embody the
 emotional and/or physical scars we carry in our skins, memories and
hearts. Personally, fractures reveal the tribulations of geographic
displacement, as you lose the connection to your native environment,
emotional relationships and cultural practices.