Graduate Students

Miguel L. Rojas Sotelo

Modern/Contemporary

Rojas Sotelo's dissertation ("Cultural Maps, Networks
and Flows: The History and Impact of the Havana Biennale 1984 to the Present") explores the history, structure, methods, and practices of a group of critics, curators, and artists in the development of the Havana Biennale. His interest in this event lays on two facts. First the debates taking place on the issue of alternative cosmopolitan modernisms after the Second World War. Second, the possibility to establish a link of a larger network that redefines what modern art was and what is called today global art.

As a researcher, Rojas Sotelo had the opportunity to work in the history of modern and contemporary art in Colombia through the study of the National Art Salon (1899-1998). The result of the research was a series of exhibitions, videos, symposia, publications, and a CD room. Rojas Sotelo had the opportunity to publish short and long essays in magazines, books, exhibition catalogs, and websites discussing different aspects of modern and contemporary art in Latin America and beyond.

Rojas Sotelo worked as curator exploring current artistic practices of some Latin American, East European and Middle Eastern artists and collectives working in new media art outside the centers of art production and market. In addition, he collaborated in organizing several academic events, conferences, lectures, and colloquiums. He runs a film series on new fully length, short, documentary, and video art and film from Latin America. Additionally, he co-directs and hosts a weakly radio show that presents the latest news on culture, art, science and politics as well as music from the Americas.

Rojas Sotelo shares with many of his colleagues a fundamental professional conviction: he believes that, by virtue of his acquired knowledge and background, he has access to a unique and rich cultural world, which is his responsibility and privilege to share as future scholar and professor. In that order of ideas, the feature that best defines Rojas Sotelo's personality is the enthusiasm he brings to his work as researcher and teacher. He believes that a good scholar must inhabit the material not only intellectually, but also emotionally almost in a performative dimension. Rojas Sotelo reinforces this idea through the use of visual and multimedia resources in his lectures and classes. Technology is an important part of the tools for an interactive scholarship and teaching. Rojas Sotelo embraces it fully. In his experience, the most productive place for learning is one where interaction between the subject and the object of study is possible.

CV Highlights

Education

PhD: expected 2008, Certifications in Cultural Studies & Latin American Studies
MA: December, 2004 History of Art and Architecture, University of Pittsburgh
       Certificate in Cultural and Latin American Studies
Certificate: Graduate Certificate in Cultural Policy and Management (no title),        Universidad del Rosario, Department of Philosophy, Bogotá, Colombia
MSF: Master in Visual Arts, Universidad de Los Andes, Department of Visual Arts
       (Sub-Major in History and Philosophy) Bogotá, Colombia

Publications

“Caminar, Explotar, Olvidar” (Spanish version of Walks, Blasts, Shots, Squats) Forthcoming National Criticism Award, 2007. Ministry of Culture. Bogotá, Colombia: Uniandes Press, 2007. (25 pages)

“Chimeras of Today and Corporeal Minds” Forthcoming, In: Nuevo Arte InteractivA’07 Merida, Mexico: CartoDigital, Ayuntamiento de Merida, Yucatán, 2007 (11 pages)

“Una Idea a tres voces” (A Thought in Third Voice) Forthcoming, Nuevo Arte InteractivA’07 Merida, Mexico: CartoDigital, Ayuntamiento de Merida, Yucatán, 2007 (11 pages)

“Our Space is Our Time: report on Latin American new artistic practices” Especial for Documenta12 Magazines; published by Disfagia Magazine, Toronto. Canada. http://www.e-fagia.org / 2006 (26 pages) Read online »

“Jaime Iregui de los orígenes y el destino de <esferapública.org>” (Jaime Iregui and the Origins of <esferapública.org>) Especial for Documenta12 Magazines http://www.e-fagia.org / esferapublic.org / 2006 (14 pages)

“To Build a New Territory, Fabling acts: Art, body, thought” Proceedings for the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, New York – Belo Horizonte, Brazil 2005. Download version » (26 pages)

“Del corral a la Corraleja: Sobre arte y Amistad” (From the Corral to the Arena: On art and friendship)Memorias del Octavo Salón Regional de Artistas de la Costa Norte (Catalog). Sincelejo & Bogota: Ed. Banco de la República, Asociación de Artistas Plásticos de Sucre. 2003. (10 pages)

“Deber Ser, Deber Estar” (To Be, To Inhabit), Proyecto Pentágono: Investigations about Contemporary Art in Colombia – Bogotá: Ministry of Culture & Bogotá Institute of Culture and Tourism, IDCT. 2000. (20 pages) Read online »

Recent Lectures

"Corporeal Minds and Techno Fantasies," Biennale New Art InteractivA’07, Merida, Mexico 2007.

"Collaboration and Media Art in Latin America & The Persistence of the Impossible: Contemporary Art from Colombia," Rome, Italy 2006.

"Building Territory: Fabulist Acts, Performance and Contemporary Nation in Colombia," 5th Encounter: Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics Contemporary Indigenous and Community-based Practices, Belo Horizonte, Bazil 2005.

"Museums, Communities and Social Responsibility" Sincelejo Museum of Contemporary Art (MACSI), Sincelejo, Colombia 2005.

Honors and Awards

National Criticism Award, finalist. Ministry of Culture, Bogotá, Colombia, 2007.

New Persons Award in Academic and Media Activism, Thomas Merton Center (Shared) Pittsburgh, PA 2006.

Member of the Jury Prize New Practices in Visual Arts, Minister of Culture, Bogotá, Colombia, 2005.

Member of Carolina Oramas Fellowships Committee, (For International Art Studies) ICETEX, Bogotá, Colombia, 1998/2000.

Grants and Fellowships

Andrew Mellon Fellowship for Dissertation completion, 2007-2008.

Cultural Studies Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh (declined), 2007-2008.

Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), Research Grant, 2006.

Teaching Experience

Department of History of Art and Architecure, University of Pittsburgh
Comparative Modernisms (summer 2005), Introduction to Modern Art (summer
2005), TA. Introduction to Modern Art (Professor Barbara McCloskey, Spring 2005), TA. Introduction to Contemporary Art (Professor Terry Smith, Spring 2004)

Universidad Externado de Colombia, 1998-1999
Department of Conservation and Restoration - Professor, Cultural Management I, II

Fundación Manuel Murillo Toro, 1995-1998
Superior School of Visual Media - Professor, Art History I, Art History II, New Media, New Image Creation Workshop

Links

Interactiva 2007. Biennial in Interactive and New-Art (Merida, Mexico. June-July 2007) http://www.cartodigital.org/interactiva/

Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano / Friends of Latin America Film. Curated series on contemporary and documentary film, short films, and video art from Latin America. http://rojaszotelo.googlepages.com/home

Revista Radial Latinoamericana / Latin American Radio Magazine. Weekly show on www.wrct.org and live through 88.3fm Pittsburgh. All programs at http://revistaradial.googlepages.com