Colourful Suggestions Between Architecture and Art in the Buenos Aires Centro Cultural Recoleta by the Architect Clorindo Testa

This contribution is part of an interdisciplinary research project that explores the influence of Italian architects on Argentina's architectural heritage. Specifically, it analyzes the Centro Cultural Recoleta in Buenos Aires, designed by Clorindo Testa, an Italian-born architect. Located in the heart of the city, the Centro Cultural Recoleta is surrounded by three other architectural works by Italian authors. Testa's design transformed a former convent into a dynamic space that preserves and repurposes the existing structures. The building incorporates a unique blend of shapes and colors, creating a playful and ornamental atmosphere. Testa's innovative approach includes an urban terrace added in 1990, connecting the Centro Cultural to a new shopping center. Today, the space serves as a vibrant hub for artistic expression, attracting a diverse range of artists and visitors. The artistic activities are disseminated as if it were a faro-manifesto: the main entrance to the historic building is dressed in ephemeral murals representing the current exhibition, generating a visual impact that stands out in the urban landscape. The integration of these languages, architectural and artistic, enhances the built and consolidated heritage through original ephemeral interventions. The historical memory of the site is retraced through the continuous formal and chromatic expression of contemporary art. In order to know and communicate the tangible and intangible value of the place, graphic-perceptual readings and critical spatial and volumetric interpretations, carried out through drawing and expeditious surveying constitute unique and fundamental methodologies.