Artworks are a process of mapping out an artist’s feelings, memories and experiences. This is because art is often influenced by what is happening around the artist. Doris Salcedo has been born in conflict, had her family taken away and befriends those who suffer as well. She is an installation artist who creates art inspired by the suffering of people. An example of this is her artwork “Atrabilious” which is directly from her experiences and conveys her feelings. Another example is “1550 chairs stacked between two buildings” which is to pay homage to those killed here in a failed guerrilla coup seventeen years earlier, deriving from other people’s experiences, not just her own. She uses these experiences from herself and other people in order to create her art, to make a statement and convey her feelings, memories and emotions.

Firstly, Salcedo’s artwork “Atrabilious” is directly from her experiences and others. In Colombia, people sometimes disappear without a trace. The technique of symbolism in the disgusting shoe boxes with different shoes tells the story of victims as they struggle, then disappear, only leaving one shoe behind. She also evokes the absence and loss of having your loved ones disappear, which Salcedo experienced herself. She uses materials and processes that locate memory in the body, like stitches or animal skin. The viewer’s response to this is emotional and even disgusted, rather than just sadly thinking about it, which is also what those who had their loved ones disappear felt as well. She maps out her feelings and experiences in this artwork in a way that gives her a voice to speak up about this horror.

Another example of how artwork maps out an artist’s feelings, emotions and experiences are in “1550 chairs stacked between two buildings”. It is to pay homage to those killed here in a failed guerrilla coup seventeen years earlier, deriving from other people’s experiences, not just her own. Those chairs are unique and bold, yet give a sense of unease when stacked all together. This derives from the soldier’s experience, who are all unique but meshed together, are unrecognizable and dying. This is an example of how Doris Salcedo maps out other people’s feelings and experiences in this artwork.

To conclude, artworks are a process of mapping out an artist’s feelings, memories and experiences. She uses her own experiences, memories and feelings in “Atrabilious” and other people’s experiences in “1550 chairs stacked between two buildings”. Doris Salcedo’s artworks are a prime example of mapping out what people think, go through and feel.