Associação Cultural Videobrasil

François Bucher (Cali, Colombia, 1972) - François Bucher's education began with a degree in Literature from the Universidad de Los Andes (Los Andes University) in Bogotá, in 1997. Soon thereafter, he received a Master's Degree from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned a scholarship fund prize in 1999. 

In 1996, Bucher had his first solo exhibition, entitled “Auténticas imitaciones de réplicas genuinas” (Authentic imitations of genuine replicas) at the cultural center of Casa Wiedemann (Wiedemann House), in Bogotá. In the following year, in collaboration with Eduardo Pradilla, his work featured in the “Los Jugadores” (The Players) exhibition at Galería Santa Fé. In the same year, Bucher exhibited “El marco es la obra” at Fundación Gilberto Alzate Avendaño, in Bogotá. Also in 1997 he won the first prize from the Colombian Ministry for Culture Film Department. 

In 1999 Bucher earned his Master's Degree in cinema at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, and was awarded a scholarship fund. Still in 1999, his work was also featured in the solo exhibition “Twin Murders” at the movie room of Bogotá Modern Art Museum. That same exhibition appeared in the following year at the Alliance Française heaquarters in Bogotá. 

Between 1999 and 2000, Bucher took part in the The Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, in New York. In 2000, he joined the “Here and Elsewhere” collective at the Whitney Museum programme, and exhibited his work in London and Norway. In 2000, The Jerome Foundation awarded The New York City Media Arts Grant to Bucher. 

In 2001, Bucher became a resident artist at Location One (http://www.location1.org), in New York, where he exhibited “Recorders” in collaboration with Katya Sander. Also in 2001, Bucher received an award from Alliance Française at Bogotá. In the following year he exhibited “White Balance (to think is to forget differences)”, still at Location One. In the years that followed this first screening, the “White balance” video received awards in many festivals, such as VideoEx (Zurich, 2003); the jury prize at Videolisboa (Lisbon, 2003); first prize in Videocreación Iberoamericana (Ibero-American Video Creation) from the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y Leon (MUSAC) (Castilla y Leon Contemporary Art Museum), 2004; the Werkleitz Award at Transmediale (Berlin, 2004); and the Director's Citation at Black Maria Film Festival. 

Bucher's work is exhibited worldwide in film festivals and video screenings, as well as in distinguished exhibitions, such as “Empire/State”, Whitney Museum Independent Study Program (New York, 2002); “Speaking Truths”, Intermedia Arts (Minneapolis, 2002); “The S-Files”, Museo del Barrio, 2003; White Box (New York, 2002); Valenzuela y Klenner Arte Contemporáneo (Bogotá, 2003); Smack Mellon Studios (New York, 2002 and 2003); Prague Biennale (2003); “Slowness”, Dorsky Gallery (New York, 2003); “Dándole Vuelta la Poder”, Centro Cultural La Recoleta (Buenos Aires, 2004); “Cine y Casi Cine”, Museo Reina Sofia (Madrid, 2004); “Transmission”, Musée des Beaux-Arts (Nantes, 2005); Fusebox Gallery, (Washington DC, 2005). Bucher's videos have also been included in important programmes: the Oberhausen Film Festival (2002); Impakt (Utrecht, 2002); Next 5 minutes, (Amsterdam), Kassel Documentary Film Festival; European Media Arts Festival (Osnabruck, 2003); The Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, 2002); Reencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, 2003; Transmediale (Berlin, 2004 and 2005); Argos Festival (Brussels, 2004); INPUT 2000; The Pacific Film Archive (U.C. Berkeley, 2003); The New York Video Festival (2002); Chicago Filmmakers (2003), and The Turner Prize Film Program at Tate Gallery (London, 2002). 

François Bucher's art work is distributed by the Video Data Bank, and features in art collections at the Bard College, Princeton University, University of Essex, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y Leon, MUSAC, and University of California at Santa Cruz.