Paraguayan visual artist Félix Toranzos presents El muro de la otra casa de Asterión (The Wall of Asterion’s Other House), a permanent exhibition at the Manzana de la Rivera in Asunción. Opened on 1 October 2026, the exhibition brings together architectural ornaments recovered from buildings that no longer exist. In this way, the collection explores how these fragments preserve the city’s history and collective memory.
Located at Espacio La Galería, inside the Manzana de la Rivera culture centre, the exhibition features shields, medallions, brackets, capitals and other decorative architectural elements. Additionally, Toranzos collected these objects over the years, rescuing them from buildings that were demolished or altered. Many are associated with historicist architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Removed from their original settings, the objects have acquired a new purpose. Their intricate designs reveal the craftsmanship and technical knowledge behind historical architecture. They also offer visitors a glimpse into the buildings that once shaped Asunción’s urban landscape.
Meet Félix Toranzos
Born in Asunción in 1962, Félix Toranzos is a Paraguayan visual artist and architect whose career spans several creative disciplines. In addition, he has also worked as a graphic designer, museographer and cultural manager. His artistic practice explores the relationship between art, architecture, materials and urban space.
Toranzos frequently combines traditional techniques with industrial materials, textures and assembled elements. Furthermore, his work examines how objects and structures can carry meaning beyond their original functions. Architecture remains a recurring reference in his practice, providing a framework for exploring history, construction and contemporary society.
Throughout his career, Toranzos has represented Paraguay at international biennials and group exhibitions across the Americas and Europe. He also served as general director of the Centro Cultural de la Ciudad Carlos Colombino/Manzana de la Rivera, one of Asunción’s principal cultural institutions.
In June 2026, the Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar recognised Toranzos as part of its 50 años tejiendo redes initiative. The programme honours individuals and organisations that have contributed to the institution’s cultural history since its establishment in 1976.
Preserving the city’s architectural memory
The exhibition extends Toranzos’ interest in architecture into a reflection on memory and urban transformation. Its accompanying curatorial text, written by Ángela Karina Fatecha Medina, examines the artistic and historical significance of the recovered pieces.
In particular, Fatecha Medina highlights their sculptural qualities, formal beauty and evidence of skilled craftsmanship. She also connects the collection to Toranzos’ own artistic practice and its exploration of human experience and memory.
Many ornaments reflect classical architectural principles, including proportion, balance and symmetry. However, their meaning changes once they are separated from the buildings they originally decorated. Each fragment becomes a reminder of a larger structure and an invitation to imagine what has disappeared.
Through this collection, Félix Toranzos draws attention to the architectural heritage lost through demolition and urban change. The exhibition brings the surviving objects together, allowing them to establish new relationships within a contemporary setting.
El muro de la otra casa de Asterión is open to the public free of charge from Monday to Friday, between 08:00 and 19:00, at Espacio La Galería, Manzana de la Rivera.
