MADRID, SPAIN.- The Biblioteca Nacional presents Ecuador: Tradition and Modernity, on view through August 26, 2007. Ecuador is one of the South American countries least known in Spain, and yet, its immigrant population represents the largest community living in Spanish cities such as Madrid, Murcia, Barcelona or Valencia. Moreover, Spain makes a great effort to cooperate with this country, with which it has so many historic links. This dual circumstance means that the show is directed at a double audience: Spanish citizens who live alongside Ecuadorian immigrants —they can recognize and appreciate the signs of Ecuadorian identity in this show— and the immigrant population itself, which contemplates the mark of its own history, traditions and culture in its adopted country.

The difficult geography of Ecuador, with its very diverse ecosystems, is determinant in its still little-known artistic and cultural history. Nevertheless, the work of researchers like José Gabriel Navarro, José María Vargas, José Alcina Franch and Alexandra Kennedy, among others, made it possible in the twentieth century to establish the basic parameters of Ecuadorian art and architecture from the pre-Hispanic period to the present.

With relation to this scientific aspect, the exhibition seeks to concretize an updating of historical, artistic and cultural knowledge about Ecuador, with new historiographic perspectives that cover both traditional viewpoints and aspects that were marginal until very recently; contemporary forms of expression —photography and film— subjects of current interest —art collecting— and aspects that were rejected until very recently, such as the integration of popular art in artistic discourse.

The intention of this exhibition is to make its presence felt in Madrid, so the project is not limited to the exhibition of a number of pieces in a single space, but instead takes advantage of the city’s possibilities to show works in diverse urban spaces. For example, visitors to Barajas International Airport can see two murals by the well-known Ecuadorian painter, Oswaldo Guayasamín. Their hight visibility in a location transited by many passengers, makes it an excellent place to hand out maps of the city with the location of the exhibitions and programs of the activities to be carried out.