Across a career spanning more than six decades, Beatriz González created paintings, prints, furniture and installations that examined Colombian society, politics and collective memory.

Often associated with Pop Art, González developed a distinctive visual language of bold colour, simplified figures and familiar imagery. She reworked celebrated European paintings alongside photographs taken from newspapers and popular culture, questioning how images are reproduced, consumed and remembered.

Her work moves between humour, satire and mourning. As political violence intensified in Colombia, the imagery became darker and increasingly concerned with grief, loss and the experiences omitted from official accounts of history.

In this illustrated talk, Matthew Merrick introduces González’s extraordinary body of work and considers how an artist can turn the fleeting images of mass media into a lasting form of cultural and political memory.

The evening includes time for discussion and questions. No previous knowledge of art history is needed—just curiosity.

Presented by Northlight and Leeds Art History Group.

EVENT INFORMATION

Wednesday 21 October 2026
Doors open: 6.30pm
Talk: 7–9pm
Tickets: £10

Free visitor parking. Well served by buses from Leeds and Harrogate. Wheelchair access.