Born in Bogotá, Camilo has had contact with art since he was a child. He recalls watching cartoons as a boy and keeping those images in his mind to later reproduce on paper. He feels his love for art is something he was born with, but he also credits his mother who was a fashion designer for nurturing his love of artistic expression. Art also served as a form of bonding for Camilo. He notes painting table cloths with his mother, and the joy that these small acts brought him. Apart from visual art, he finds beauty in performance. The way in which actors can say a million things through their bodies, without the need for words, has always drawn him to the craft. Although Camilo has lived in Medellín for four years, his love of graffiti is owed to his birthplace, Bogotá. This city and its local artists drew him to experiment with graffiti, and it ended up becoming one of the main mediums he uses. To him, art, specifically murals in Comuna 13, serve as both a physical manifestation of the community’s history, and proof of evolving perception surrounding public urban art, which was once heavily stigmatized. Camilo recognizes the importance of remembering Comuna 13’s painful history, and he says that art serves as a tool for maintaining memory and promoting healing. Like many in his community, artistic expression has transformed him personally, helping him to lose his fears and embrace vulnerability. At a community-wide level, he believes that art has served to both commemorate and ameliorate its violent history. Camilo is eternally grateful to this community, so he identifies Road 110, the main strip to walk in the community, as a significant location for him. In this street, people can see one mural in particular that symbolically recounts the community’s history. He continues to hold Comuna 13 as a fundamental part of his life and embracing graffiti as his source of comfort.
