TOM CHAMBERS: Bogota Fotografica Festival

Prom Dress #3, 2005. Photograph (c) Tom Chambers

Photographs were displayed across the city of Bogotá

Fetch, 2008. Photograph (c) Tom Chambers
(click to enlarge images)

"In the spirit of the Fotomuseo's mission to bring photography into the lives of the Colombian people, my photographs were displayed on the exterior of public buildings and along the thoroughfares of Bogotá. Most remarkable was the piece Fetch, measuring 24 by 65 feet, displayed prominently on the front of the Archivo de Bogotá. A bit of a surreal experience, perhaps a parallel to my photography, to view my work on such a large scale."

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TOM CHAMBERS was born on a farm in the religiously conservative area of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After high school he joined the Navy and spent a year on a patrol boat base in Vietnam which profoundly affected his outlook on life. Chambers earned a BFA from the Ringling School of Art and Design. His work has been widely exhibited throughout the United States and has received numerous awards and honors.

Chambers recently participated in the biennial, Fotográfica 2009 Bogotá, sponsored by Fotomuseo, the National Museum of Photography in Bogotá, Colombia. Fotográfica 2009 Bogotá was a gathering of sixteen international photographers, twenty-four Colombian photographers, and a cadre of university professors and museum curators from around the world. These fine art photographers exhibited their work related to the theme of the Portrait. Photographs were displayed in different venues across the city of Bogotá, including major museums, historical buildings, and galleries. Museum curators, university professors, and intellectuals from Colombia, Canada, England, France, Spain, and the USA provided lectures about current issues in photography.

In the historic Candeleria district of Bogotá, Chambers exhibited a body of his work at the Museo de Bogotá. Teaching a class at the Universidad Nacional, he explained the process of creating his photomontages to several hundred students. In a public conversation at the Universidad Central with Guatemalan photographer Luis Gonzalez Palma, Tom and Luis compared and contrasted the themes and symbols in their photographic work.

"Throughout my stay I was well taken care of by Fotomuseo Director Gilma Suarez and her attentive staff, as well as warmly embraced by the people and arts community in Bogotá. The experience was both artistically and intellectually stimulating. If you have the opportunity to participate in a future Fotográfica festival, I would highly recommend this experience. I made some great friends and I had a blast."

Tom Chambers Website
Tom Chambers "Charmers"
Chambers Inspires Songwriters
FotoMuseo in English