German photographer Peter Granser frames the bold and brilliant architecture of Freddy Mamani Silvestre in a new book, El Alto. This 24-page publication hones in on the pattern, shape and composition of the self-taught architect’s designs, which can be found in his hometown of El Alto, Bolivia.
Mamani’s playful and eccentric style is inspired by the craft traditions of his own indigenous Aymaran culture and the strong masonry of pre-Inca architecture. He has made a name for himself in El Alto, where he has completed more than 60 projects since 2005, all recognisable by their colourful façades, asymmetrical paneling and quirky shapes. His radical art deco meets Las Vegas style couldn’t feel more alien to the rambling architecture of Bolivia’s second largest city.
Only one photograph in the book shows the backdrop of the dramatic mountain-scape behind the city, with a bright green Mamani building rising up over the rooftops in the foreground. Mostly, Granser has carefully and closely framed the buildings. The photographs are like portraits, which explore the defining characteristics of Mamani’s self-pronounced ‘New Andean’ architectural style. Full pages feature cropped shots of elaborate surfaces, so obscured by the lens that they resemble two-dimensional animations.
A spread from 'El Alto'
These conscious close-ups are described in a short essay by architectural designer and writer Winston Hampel who compares the publication to a ‘postcard or a dispatch’. The book is a ‘peephole’, which reveals yet also limits our view of Mamani’s kingdom, igniting our imaginations further.
This bright saddle-stitched book is produced by Edition Taube, an independent publishing house specialising in the production of artists’ works, based in Munich and Zurich. El Alto is a neat, visual slice of real-life fantasy – a photo book, an unusual object and a visual introduction to the world of Mamani.
For inspiration, Mamani also looks to science fiction films, which influence the futuristic shapes and designs of his work
The fantasy ride continues inside Mamani's buildings, with ornate columns and glitzy chandeliers shown here in Salon El Rey Alexander
El Alto is Mamani's hometown in Bolivia. As well as Bolivia's second largest city, it is the highest in the world, and home to approximately 1.6 million people
Photographer Peter Granser closely frames the buildings to celebrate the quirky features of Silvestre's signature architectural style
INFORMATION
El Alto is published by Edition Taube, €17. For more information, visit Edition Taube's website
-
In Shanghai, Hermès conjures a ‘cosmopolitan explorer’ for its one-off show on the Huangpu RiverNadège Vanhée, artistic director of Hermès’ womenswear collections, presented ‘The Second Chapter’ of her A/W 2025 collection earlier this evening (13 June 2025) against the futuristic skyline of Shanghai
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
Peugeot brings back a classic performance badge for the electric era: meet the E-208 GTiPeugeot has unveiled the new E-208 GTi, a performance EV designed to hark back to a golden age of compact sports cars
-
The glory years of the Cannes Film Festival are captured in a new photo book‘Cannes’ by Derek Ridgers looks back on the photographer's time at the Cannes Film Festival between 1984 and 1996
-
Taschen’s sexy record covers are hitting all the right notesTaschen has been through 50 years of album art for its latest tome, ‘Sexy Record Covers’
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960sA new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
-
Daniel Arsham’s new monograph collates the works of the auto-obsessed American artist‘Arsham Motorsport’ is two volumes of inspiration, process and work, charting artist Daniel Arsham’s oeuvre inspired by the icons and forms of the automotive industry
-
Era-defining photographer David Bailey guides us through the 1980s in a new tome not short of shoulder pads and lycraFrom Yves Saint Laurent to Princess Diana, London photographer David Bailey dives into his 1980s archive in a new book by Taschen
-
Inside Joan Didion’s unseen diary of personal relationships and post-therapy notesA newly discovered diary by Joan Didion is soon to be published. Titled 'Notes to John', the journal documents her relationship with her daughter, husband, alcoholism, and depression
-
Carsten Höller’s new Book of Games: 336 playful pastimes for the bold and the boredArtist Carsten Höller invites readers to step out of their comfort zone with a series of subversive games
-
Distracting decadence: how Silvio Berlusconi’s legacy shaped Italian TVStefano De Luigi's monograph Televisiva examines how Berlusconi’s empire reshaped Italian TV, and subsequently infiltrated the premiership
