The exhibition presents 70 years of Colombian architecture

Prague - Seven decades of Colombian architecture, little known in Europe, is presented in an exhibition that will open Thursday at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery in Prague. The exhibition in Prague will run until April 1 and will later be showcased in Brno. It was created based on the collaboration of two universities - the Czech Technical University and UNAL in Bogotá.
    Among Latin American architecture, the names of several creators who built in Brazil or Venezuela are well-known, while many recognized names from Colombia are lacking, one of the professors from the university in Bogotá, Eduardo Samper, told journalists today.
    Nevertheless, he believes it is important to present Colombian architecture from the last 70 years - it was just around this time that it began to open up to new ideas, styles, and trends, abandoning the colonial style that had prevailed in this and other arts up to that point.
    The first part of the exhibition showcases images in black and white and accompanying texts in English and Spanish that illustrate the "golden age" of Colombian architecture, specifically the 1940s to the 1960s. The exhibition's authors identify the building of the Faculty of Architecture at the National University of Bogotá as the beginning of the history of modern architecture; the selection of buildings culminates in the Torres del Parque building (1965), also in Bogotá.
    The second part of the exhibition, featuring color photographs, presents Colombian architecture from the 1970s to the present. "Both parts document that architecture in Colombia adapts to the place and does not merely follow contemporary trends," Samper stated.
    Architecture in his country reportedly follows two tendencies - a rational approach and an organic character of buildings. Brick is often used as a material, as seen mainly in the photographs in the second part of the exhibition, which is a traditional material in the area. According to Samper, there are also interesting reactions with light that architects work with significantly.
    Today's vernissage will be preceded by Samper's lecture at the Cervantes Institute, and two other Colombian architecture professors will lecture on Thursday at 1:30 PM at the Czech Technical University.