Ornamento

“A city is also built out of desire.”

Cali’s traditional facades showcase a self-built architecture born of desire, recognizable by its spiral staircases, swans, and balustrades. Here we intertwine the history of the Otero Building with the work of the city’s workshops, where molded concrete democratized decoration. This visual essay explores ornament as a political statement—a visible canvas of subjectivity and popular imagination.