Visual Art Exhibitions and The Private Archives of Pablo Escobar

Friday 18 July

Star & Shadow Cinema
¡Cantina Latina! and ¡VAMOS! present a special night of visual art and film from 7pm, film screening from 8.30pm free entry with proceeds going to PBI Peace Brigades International and FOR.


An influential visual artist, Peter Kennard's photo-montage 
based practice has delivered some of the definitive images 
of the time from the CND movement and (with relevance to 
¡VAMOS!) his body of work on the General Pinochet's coup 
in Chile in 1973. Presented in the North East for the first time 
in 30 years, this collection will be on show for one night within the Star and Shadow with Peter introducing the work.

Self taught photographer Jason P. Howe has worked in Lebanon, Iraq and is currently based in Afghanistan. A regular visitor to Latin America he has working in 18 countries in the region and documenting the ongoing conflict in Colombia has been a long term project. Jason's exploration of FARC, the AUC (right wing militia), the displaced and coca trade is unnerving in it's closeness to the subject. The first manifestation of this ongoing work 'Colombia - Between the Lines' will be presented at ¡VAMOS! as a unique installation with the just published book available to buy during the festival.


Castro relied heavily on the use of the visual medium (and in particular posters) to present and promote political themes, messages and philosophies to the masses. Cuba therefore has a striking and vibrant body of iconic imagery to explore in order to better understand the issues and agendas of the time. This strategy included the production of a children's sticker album encouraging collecting and trading cards to learn about the revolutionary movement. On the night Dr.Barbara Willis-Clark will present samples from the sticker album in order to give a wider context to this unusual relic from Cuba's past.

Colombian film maker Marc de Beaufort's 'The Private Archives of Pablo Escobar' attempts to straddle both the pop and political with this revealing documentary portrait of a complex man who grew freakishly rich and powerful from the drug trade. Rising from petty criminal to fearsomely influential political mover and shaker, Escobar managed to simultaneously present himself as ruthless, violent criminal whilst knowingly cultivating a kind of modern day 'Robin Hood' persona. Film screened at 8.30pm.