Freddy Mamani

The Fondation Cartier celebrates Mamani's architecture in the exhibition Southern Geometries, from Mexico to Patagonia (2018–2019) which invited visitors to discover the richness and variety of motifs and colours in his work. The exhibition featured a ballroom created by the architect, who recreated the geometric colourful iconography of the Tiwanaku culture to celebrate the spirit of Andean festivals in the heart of Paris. This in situ work is now part of the Fondation Cartier collection, with a new version presented as part of the Exposition Générale (2025).

He works mainly in El Alto, a town located above La Paz, where he has constructed over seventy structures, referred to as “cholets” (a melding of “chalet” and “cholo”, a derogatory term used for rural migrants, embraced here). Cholets are multi-functional buildings that contain businesses on the ground floor, then “party palaces”, event spaces on the floors above, as well as residential apartments. Mamani's architecture has been lauded for its originality, social impact and celebration of cultural identity.