Free Art Exhibition Opens March 5: Five Decades of a Cuencano Master at the Modern Art Museum
Chip Moreno
A Half-Century of Art, One Exhibition
When a city's modern art museum celebrates its 45th anniversary, you'd expect something special. The Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno (MMAM) is delivering.
"Parajes del Silencio (1975-2025)" opens Thursday, March 5 at 7:00 PM — a comprehensive retrospective spanning 50 years of work by Cuencano architect and visual artist Diego Jaramillo Paredes. The exhibition runs through May 3, 2026, and admission is free.
Who Is Diego Jaramillo Paredes?
Born in Cuenca in 1957, Jaramillo Paredes has been one of the city's most important cultural figures for decades — though many expats may not know his name. His resume reads like a map of Cuenca's cultural institutions:
- Founding Dean of the Faculty of Design at the Universidad del Azuay
- Director of the Visual Arts School at the Universidad de Cuenca
- President of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Núcleo del Azuay (1999-2003)
- Director of Cuenca's Historic Areas office (Áreas Históricas)
- Curator for the Bienal de Cuenca (the city's internationally recognized painting biennial)
- Founder of Saladentro, a cultural space, in 2018
- Recipient of the Presea al Mérito Cultural (Cultural Merit Award) in 2018
He's produced approximately 40 solo exhibitions over his career. This retrospective is the most comprehensive yet.
What You'll See
Jaramillo Paredes works primarily in painting, exploring tensions between form, figure, and void. His work isn't literal landscape — it's about perception and memory, what the curator Cecilia Suárez Moreno describes as "landscapes of perception's margins."
The exhibition is organized thematically rather than chronologically around four recurring tensions across five decades:
- Instability of the figure — forms that refuse to settle
- The wearing of form — deterioration as creative force
- Fragmentation of meaning — pieces that resist easy interpretation
- Progressive reduction of gesture — less becoming more
If that sounds abstract, it is — but in the best sense. This is contemplative, quiet art that rewards patience. The title, "Landscapes of Silence," tells you the pace. Come ready to look, not just glance.
Practical Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Opening reception | Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM |
| Exhibition runs | March 5 – May 3, 2026 |
| Where | Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno (MMAM) — Calle Sucre 15-27 y Coronel Tálbot, San Sebastián |
| Hours | Mon-Fri 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM / Sat-Sun 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Admission | Free |
| Phone | (07) 413 4900 ext. 1960 |
About the MMAM
For newer expats: the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno is one of Cuenca's cultural treasures. Founded in 1981 in the San Sebastián neighborhood (the old Casa de la Temperancia), it's the museum that created the International Biennial of Painting of Cuenca in 1987 — now one of Latin America's most important art biennials.
The museum holds paintings, prints, sculptures, photographs, and textiles spanning 20th and 21st century movements. It's small enough to visit in an hour, beautiful enough to linger longer, and always free.
If you haven't been, the "Parajes del Silencio" opening on March 5 is a perfect excuse. Gallery openings at the MMAM are social events — wine, conversation, the artist, and Cuenca's art community. Even if contemporary painting isn't your thing, the evening itself is worth showing up for.
The 45th Anniversary Context
This retrospective is one of the first commemorative events for the MMAM's 45th anniversary year. Expect more programming throughout 2026. The museum has been a cornerstone of Cuenca's identity as a city of arts — and four and a half decades later, it's still the best free gallery in town.
Sources: Dirección Municipal de Cultura de Cuenca, El Mercurio
