their vocation and talent for contemporary photography. Upon
completion of their careers, they will join the family projects.
Clara María Ochoa Rozas-Botrán has been an art lover since she
was little and is involved in creative and innovative projects. The
youngest ones, Nicole and Nicolás, show interest in different art
expressions. These new generations reflect the family features
that will give continuity to the work by Fundación.
THE SOCIO-CULTURAL PATH
OF FUNDACIÓN ROZAS-BOTRÁN
We know that the roots of Fundación Rozas-Botrán are traced
back to 1915 in Quetzaltenango and that its mission, the “Arte de
Ayudar”, was consolidated in the 20th century. From its beginnings,
the Fundación has been focused on promoting health care and
assistance for the needy and the development of culture through
visual arts. Its actions range from scientific research and diagnosis
for the appropriate treatment of metabolic and genetic diseases, to
the management of activities involving art expressions. The words
by his Holiness Pope John Paul II are present at the Fundación,
“Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to
shed light upon its path and its destiny” [Letter of his Holiness
Pope John Paul II to Artist, 1999].
The important projects executed throughout these years have
allowed the Fundación to settle as a prestigious cultural reference.
In the following paragraphs we will mention some results from
work done so far and which have become a milestone at social
and cultural ambits in Guatemala and neighbouring countries
of Central America and Panama.
ACHIEVEMENTS
1985 - 2015 La Galería Rozas-Botrán
La Galería has continued to promote the career of Central
American and Panamanian artists who are currently excelling.
Both architectural designs of its premises, in Zona 14 and
Ciudad Cayalá, provide a novel proposal for artwork exhibition
and the suggested walks-through for visitors. Every exhibition
is documented in a catalogue that then passes to enrich the
archives of Fundación Rozas-Botrán. The editions of such
catalogues have honoured artists Ramón Ávila, Rudy Cotton,
Juan José Rodríguez, Juan Carlos Calderón, Fernando Valdiviezo,
Valenz, Doniel Espinoza, Pepo Toledo, Salvador Gálvez, Juan
Manuel Díaz Puerta, Lucía Rohrmann, Norlan Santana, Johanes

Boekhoudt, César Cartagena, Alex Cuchilla, and Luis Carlos;
as well as collectives ‘Mujer y Café’ from Guatemala, ‘Visiones’
from El Salvador, and ‘Tres generaciones’ from Costa Rica.
El Cuarto Azul - A space in La Galería at Zona 14 devoted
to exhibit artworks without restriction of technique or format.
On a regular basis, this place exhibits proposals on painting,
sculpture, and, according to the occasion, special projections
and installations. The wow-factor is one of the attractions for
our visitors; they will find in every new exhibition at El Cuarto
Azul, the most prominent work of the artist invited.
El Cubo Blanco - Created also in La Galería at Cayalá, El
Cubo Blanco is a space that is necessary in our days for
displaying different models based on technical aspects such
as illumination, scale and trajectory, as well as on educational
and information-dissemination resources such as advertising
signs, texts, photographs and videos. Dominated by neutrality, this
place has become an offer whose only limit is the creativeness
of visual artists, curators, and museographers. Artists intervene
the space freely, creating a unique experience for the spectators
who find themselves alone in a space that reflect the expression
of the artist, and alone with the artist. El Cubo Blanco has yielded
a collection of murals that is unique in its genre because they
are built on removable walls that then become part of the visual
arts collection.
Major Exhibitions
March 2012 - La Galería inaugurated two spaces with the
works by renowned painter Ramón Ávila who celebrated his
50 years of living in Guatemala. The Galería El Túnel joined this
celebration. The three simultaneous exhibitions gathered painting,
drawing, screen-printing, and sculpture. La Fundación funded
the sculpture projects that Ramón Ávila had in sketches, and
these were executed using Guatemalan precious hardwoods
meticulously selected with responsibility at the workshops of
fine woodworkers and with more than 15 years of drying to
ensure the perdurable quality of the artwork and avoid harming
the current ecology.
October 2012 - The 120 years of Carlos Mérida
La Galería hosted in Zona 14 the cultural legacy of renowned
painter Carlos Mérida, donated to the State of Guatemala by
www.fundacionrozasbotran.org

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