Poland in Venezuela

As part of the P.I.S.T.A. project (Institutional and Social Perspectives on Archival Collections), EUNIC Caracas organized an intensive program in the first half of 2025, encompassing academic, artistic, and cultural heritage activities aimed at highlighting the importance of archives as pillars of memory and cultural identity in Venezuela.

From guided tours and workshops to expert seminars and a nationwide art competition, the project fostered dialogue between history, society, and contemporary creativity.

On April 26, the first guided visit took place at the architectural heritage archive of Polish architect Jan Górecki, a key figure in the urban planning history of 20th-century Caracas. Participants had the opportunity to explore his projects in the Chacao municipality and examine his private archive, gaining insight into the historical and documentary value of his work.

In parallel, in April, the “Author’s Register” national art competition was launched to promote the creation of original works inspired by archives. The initiative attracted artists from various disciplines and concluded with the selection of three winning projects, which will receive financial support and be exhibited in Caracas between September and November 2025.

The selected projects are:

El Cojo Ilustrado Digital: Preservation, Education, and Open Access to Venezuelan Cultural Heritage (1892–1915) – by Guillermo Guzmán Mirabala

Memorias Danzadas – by Meyby Ugueto-Ponce

A Teresa… Expo-performance, a Tribute to Teresa Carreño – by Jesús Eloy Gutiérrez

As part of the P.I.S.T.A. project (Institutional and Social Perspectives on Archival Collections), EUNIC Caracas organized an intensive program in the first half of 2025, encompassing academic, artistic, and cultural heritage activities aimed at highlighting the importance of archives as pillars of memory and cultural identity in Venezuela.

From guided tours and workshops to expert seminars and a nationwide art competition, the project fostered dialogue between history, society, and contemporary creativity.

On April 26, the first guided visit took place at the architectural heritage archive of Polish architect Jan Górecki, a key figure in the urban planning history of 20th-century Caracas. Participants had the opportunity to explore his projects in the Chacao municipality and examine his private archive, gaining insight into the historical and documentary value of his work.

In parallel, in April, the “Author’s Register” national art competition was launched to promote the creation of original works inspired by archives. The initiative attracted artists from various disciplines and concluded with the selection of three winning projects, which will receive financial support and be exhibited in Caracas between September and November 2025.

The selected projects are:

El Cojo Ilustrado Digital: Preservation, Education, and Open Access to Venezuelan Cultural Heritage (1892–1915) – by Guillermo Guzmán Mirabala

Memorias Danzadas – by Meyby Ugueto-Ponce

A Teresa… Expo-performance, a Tribute to Teresa Carreño – by Jesús Eloy Gutiérrez

On May 16, the working meeting “Historical Archives between Venezuela and the Antilles” took place in Coro, hosted at the Archbishop’s Museum Monseñor Lucas Guillermo Castillo. Moderated by researcher Blanca de Lima, the event brought together archivists, researchers, and specialists to discuss the cultural heritage of Venezuela and the Caribbean, with participation from prominent experts such as Elina Lovera, Olivia Hernández, Luz Dovale, and representatives of the Sephardic Museum in Caracas.

On May 22, a second guided tour was held at the El Archivo space. Participants learned about the workflows of the archival team, accessed digital databases, and were introduced to the curatorial concept of the exhibition “Caribe Postal: Materials for an Anthropology of Caribbean Territorial Imagination.”

In May, the project also participated in the European Open House Day at European cultural institutes in Venezuela (Goethe-Institut, Alianza Francesa de Caracas, and Instituto Italiano di Cultura), with a theoretical and practical workshop titled “Relatos que importan”, which connected archival material with stories of migration in Venezuela.

To close the semester, from June 26 to 28, the hybrid-format seminar “Memory and Archives in Venezuela” was held in Caracas. The program included masterclasses, workshops, guided tours, and film screenings centered around three main themes: historical archives, document conservation, and private collections. Leading Venezuelan specialists took part, including Dr. Dora Dávila (historian), Marisela Ramírez (conservation expert), and Roland Streulli, a renowned Swiss photographer with extensive experience in Venezuela.

Each day of the seminar was hosted in a different cultural venue in Caracas:

June 26 – Palace of the Academies

June 27 – Faculty of Architecture, Central University of Venezuela (UCV)

June 28 – C&FE Collection

Under the slogan “Learn. Remember. Know.”, the seminar created a platform for reflection and exchange among archivists, artists, and researchers from various regions of the country, including Caracas, Barquisimeto, Coro, Mérida, and Margarita Island.

All these activities are part of the P.I.S.T.A. project, implemented by the EUNIC Caracas cluster, which includes:
Goethe-Institut Venezuela, Embassy of Spain, Instituto Camões, Alianza Francesa de Caracas, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, and the Embassy of Portugal, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union, the Embassy of Switzerland, and the British Council.

The second half of 2025 will bring new initiatives, including community workshops in popular neighborhoods of Caracas and new partnerships with key cultural and heritage organizations such as Bolívar Films, Banco del Libro, and Fundación Casa Boulton. These efforts will continue to strengthen the network of exchange, education, and creativity surrounding archives in Venezuela.