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Dog Days Bogota

In 2002 Alec Soth traveled with his wife to Bogotá, Colombia to adopt a baby girl, Carmen. Carmen's birthmother gave her a scrapbook book with this note; "When I think about you I hope that your life is full of beautiful things." Taking this message to heart Soth set out to capture the city during the two months it took the courts to process the paperwork. As in his other series, Sleeping By the Mississippi and NIAGARA, beauty makes itself apparent through ramshackle architecture, the companionship of animals, and the complexities of human relationships. Because of the very personal nature of this journey, Dog Days Bogotá is both poetic and haunting. He says, "I wanted to share my honest impressions, including my fears." Soth has exhibitions on view this fall at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, the Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, and in 2010 at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. This exhibition was organized by Magnum Photos.