Tabula Rasa VII

“Tabula Rasa” is a series of sculptures by Colombian artist Doris Salcedo that address the issues of sexual violence, and the fluctuations of one’s identity and sense of self against the backdrop of the armed conflict in Colombia. In Latin, tabula rasa, the clean slate, symbolises the human spirit before any representation.

 This expression entails a dynamic value of complete renewal, of “starting from scratch”, which the artist keeps at a distance as she stages the struggle to rebuild after suffering trauma. Known for her unique use of everyday objects, Salcedo demolished this slate into a thousand pieces and then had it be patiently reconstructed by architects who painstakingly glued it back together, piece by piece. Like a human body that has suffered a fracture, steel rods have been Embedded into the table’s structure to stabilise it and “bring it back to life”. Holes and scratches of different colours dot the sculpture, testifying to the delicate process of the table’s repair.