IDB Hosts Paraguayan Art Exhibition in Washington

The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) has launched a new exhibition showcasing Paraguay's artistic heritage and contemporary cultural expression at the IDB ArtLAC Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Titled "Paraguay: A Living Constellation of Memory," the exhibition coincides with the 2026 IDB Annual Meetings in Asunción, Paraguay, and offers a multi-layered exploration of the country's identity through art, history and community traditions.

Exploring Paraguay Through Art and Memory

The exhibition presents a diverse collection of works from multiple generations of Paraguayan artists, including members of the diaspora and creators whose practices engage deeply with the country's cultural and historical landscape.

Through a combination of modern and contemporary artworks alongside traditional ceramics and textiles, the exhibition highlights how artistic expression reflects Paraguay's evolving cultural identity.

Works featured in the exhibition are drawn from both the IDB Art Collection and the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA), part of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Art as a Living Archive

Curators describe the exhibition as an exploration of art not just as aesthetic expression but as a living archive of collective memory and knowledge.

Using materials such as clay, thread, paper, imagery and language, the artworks demonstrate how cultural knowledge is passed through generations and embedded in everyday practices.

The exhibition emphasizes the connection between artistic creation, community life, and territory, portraying artistic practice as part of broader social and cultural development processes shaped by shared labour, traditions and collective experience.

Dialogue Between Tradition and Contemporary Practice

A key theme of the exhibition is the dialogue between traditional crafts and contemporary artistic interpretation.

For example, a handcrafted ñandutí textile, a traditional Paraguayan lacework technique, is displayed alongside works by artist Elmer Calata, who reinterprets textile traditions through contemporary forms.

Similarly, artist Claudia Casarino explores the relationship between the human body, fabric and medicinal plants, using textiles and natural elements to examine themes of care, memory and identity.

Works Reflecting History and Material Innovation

The exhibition also features wood and mixed-media works by Carlos Colombino and Bernardo Miguel Krasniansky Adler, drawn from the collections of the Art Museum of the Americas and the IDB.

These works highlight experimentation with materials while engaging with Paraguay's historical memory and social narratives.

Other elements of the exhibition include:

• Ceramic works reflecting domestic life and shared rituals

• Etchings by Miriam Rudolph depicting everyday scenes and marketplace life

• Artistic pieces that explore collective traditions and community practices

A Plural Vision of Paraguayan Identity

By bringing together artists across generations and mediums, the exhibition seeks to present Paraguay not as a single story but as a dynamic cultural landscape shaped by diverse voices and experiences.

The curatorial concept frames the country as a "living constellation"—a network of memories, practices and narratives that continue to evolve.

Through this approach, the exhibition invites audiences to reflect on how art can reveal new ways of understanding history, identity and collective experience.

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