Productions
Throughout its working path, Archivo Blomberg has carried out numerous exhibitions as well as cultural and editorial projects. Down below are some major activities.
Archivo Blomberg has extensive experience in photographic curation and museology, and has held numerous exhibitions. The cultural management of these exhibitions has been carried out together with other public and private, national and international cultural institutions.
2019: Photography exhibition, book and calendar launch of "Blomberg - Animal", held at Galería N24, Quito. Photographic exhibition "Blomberg - Ecuador" at the Consulate of Ecuador in Miami. 2018: Exhibition of pictorial work "Araceli Gilbert, Rhythm and Color" in which the Blomberg Archive collaborated with the management of the loan of works and support for research through the systematization of information on the painter in the form of metadata. As a parallel activity, a discussion was held on the management of interactive historical archives. Exhibition organized by MuNa Museo Nacional del Ecuador, Quito. 2017: Launching of the book "Djungeltripp - Jungle Trip" with audiovisual projection and panel discussion held at El Pobre Diablo, Quito. 2015: Conference for graduate students "Archivo Blomberg: conservation, assessment and access" on the notion of integral heritage and the trajectory, challenges and lessons learned in the management of the documentary collection; Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito. 2012: Photography exhibition "Blomberg in Quito", with historical images of the city, held at the Hotel Quito, Quito. Photography exhibition "Blomberg - Quito and Guayaquil", with historical images of the city, held at the Club de la Unión, Quito. 2011: Photography exhibition "Blomberg - Quiteño", with historical images of the city, held at the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Quito. "Blomberg - Nocturnal", 10 projections of Blomberg's photographs in the public space of Quito Historical Center with the sponsorship of Quito Tourism Corporation. 2010: "Quito in Zaragoza", Archivo Blomberg was part of the group show "Latin Zaragoza", held in Spain and organized by the City Council of Zaragoza and Central Dogma Collective (Ecuador). 2008: Traveling exhibition "Water Routes - Travelers Gaze'', with photographs by Karl Goldschmid, Jorge Juan Anhalzer and Rolf Blomberg; jointly curated by Archivo Blomberg and Archivo Goldschmid, held in Yaku - Water Museum Park, Quito; and later exhibited in Cuenca and Loja. 2006: "Blomberg in Hambato", photography exhibition about Ecuador (1930-1960) with emphasis on the highland region; co-produced by Archivo Blomberg and Amabto's Colectivo Central Dogma, held at the House Museum Martínez Holguín at Atocha La Liria Historic Botanical Garden, Ambato. 2005: "Blomberg in Ecuador", photography exhibition by Rolf Blomberg about Ecuador from the 1930s to the 1960s; held at El Conteiner Gallery, Quito. 2004: "Blomberg, Photographic Retrospective in Manabí", traveling photography exhibition of Rolf Blomberg on Ecuador, with emphasis on the Province of Manabí; held at the Museum of the Central Bank of Ecuador - Bahía de Caráquez and Manta, Manabí Province. 2002: "The Ecuador of Blomberg and Araceli", exhibition on the life and work of Rolf Blomberg and Araceli Gilbert; the exhibition covered the 6 temporary halls of the Museo de la Ciudad (Quito) and was visited by 12,000 people. 2002: "Through The Eyes of a Swedish Explorer", photography exhibition with Rolf Blomberg images from various regions of the world; held at the White Room Gallery in Los Angeles, USA.
The concentration of resources has led to the majority of cultural projects being carried out in large cities, to the exclusion of distant and small communities. Since 2004, we began to establish links with communities that had been portrayed by Rolf Blomberg in collaboration with them, we held photographic exhibitions and free of charge public access screenings of his documentary films in order to bring them records of their history. Under the name "Blomberg Returns", this project has been carried out in the highlands, coast and Amazon of Ecuador. We have also collaborated in locally managed initiatives.
2017: Launching of the book "Djungeltripp - Jungle Trip” with a documentary projection, a photographic exhibition and a panel discussion held in collaboration with the GAD (Decentralized Autonomous Government) of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas; visit to the communities portrayed in the book, delivery of copies to descendants, documentary projection and photographic exhibition at their community huts. Participation in the collective exhibition "Only through the other can I know who I am. Photographic memories of immigration 1920-1970", organized by the German Embassy in Ecuador in Quito and Cuenca. 2015: Screening of Rolf Blomberg documentaries in Galapagos, and discussions in 4 schools and the municipal hall of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, in the context of the launch of the documentary on Rolf Blomberg and Araceli Gilbert "The Secret of Light", directed by Rafael Barriga and produced by Doc TV, Quito. 2009: Public access screening and photographic exhibition "Blomberg Regresa - Sarayacu": free screening of the films "By Canoe to the Head Hunters Land" (1936) and "Jibaros, The Jungle People" (1965) in the community where they were filmed; Sarayacu Community, Pastaza Province. 2008: "Pawkar Raymi", collective exhibition with local artists held at the Cultural Center of the Otavalo City Hall, organized by Runas Contemporáneos and sponsored by the Municipal Government of Canton Otavalo: participation with fine art photography of Imbabura by Rolf Blomberg between 1940 and 1968. 2007: Public access screening and photographic exhibition "Blomberg Regresa - Quinchuquí", free screening of Blomberg's documentary films at the Tahuantinsuyo School, Imbabura. 2006: Public access screening "Blomberg Regresa - Jaramijó", free screening of Blomberg's documentary films organized jointly by Archivo Blomberg and the Youth Business Chamber of Jaramijó at "Jhon & Janhio" ballroom, Jaramijó, Prov. of Manabí.
Archivo Blomberg has published books, catalogs and calendars as a way to fulfill the objective of disseminating the work of Rolf Blomberg, Araceli Gilbert and the Robinson Perez family. To make accessible such an important historical referent for Ecuador and the world, our editorial production is bilingual (Spanish - English). Likewise, this line of work has contributed to the self-management of the foundation.
“Blomberg - Animal”, bilingual (Spanish - English) photobook and calendars with photographs on the relationship between people and animals taken by Rolf Blomberg in different parts of the world (Latin America, Africa and Oceania); edited Archivo Blomberg, Quito, 2019. "Djungeltripp - Jungle Trip'', bilingual (Spanish - English) travel chronicle by Emma Robinson Blomberg about the expedition of a group of artists (Oswaldo Guayasamín, Olga Fisch, Rolf Blomberg, Minnie Bodenhorst, Lilian and Emma Robinson) to Tsáchila territory in 1948. Originally written in English by Emma Robinson and published in Swedish a year later by Gebers Publishers, translated by Rolf Blomberg. This book was edited by Archivo Blomberg with support from the CCE Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana; Quito, 2017. "Blomberg - Quiteño", bilingual (Spanish - English) bilingual fine art photo book, an approach to the everyday stories of Quito in the mid-twentieth century, edited by Archivo Blomberg with the support of FONSAL, heritage organization of the Metropolitan District of Quito, 2010. "Rolf Blomberg - Calendar 2008", produced by Archivo Blomberg. "Blomberg - Ecuador", bilingual (Spanish - English) fine art photobook, is a journey through Ecuador between the 1930s and 1960s; curated by José Avilés, it was edited by Archivo Blomberg and Editorial Latinweb, Quito, 2004; 2nd Edition, 2005. "Blomberg in Ecuador", catalog of Rolf Blomberg's photographic exhibition on Ecuador; held at El Conteiner Gallery, Quito, 2005. "Buried Gold and Anacondas" (Guld att Hamta, Folket I Bilds Forlag, Stockholm, 1959). Archivo Blomberg produced a new edition of the translation of Blomberg's book with the support of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, Quito, 2002. "El Ecuador de Blomberg y Araceli", exhibition catalog on the life and work of Rolf Blomberg, Araceli Gilbert and Emma Robinson, held at the Museo de la Ciudad, Quito, 2002. "Araceli", written by Lenin Oña and produced by Marcela Blomberg de Pazmiño, is the most complete study of the work and life of the painter Araceli Gilbert; Imprenta Mariscal, Quito, 1995.
Archivo Blomberg and SVT (Swedish Television), which holds the rights to Blomberg's film work, have established agreements for numerous free screenings of Blomberg's films. The documentaries that Rolf Blomberg produced about Ecuador between 1936 and the 1960s were previously unseen in the country and were translated and subtitled into Spanish for their release in Ecuador. The screenings were carried out in collaboration with different community organizations and cultural managers.
2015: Participation in the "Retrospective Exhibition of Ecuadorian Documentaries and Documentaries About Ecuador", held at the Cinemateca Distrital de Bogotá, Colombia, with two short films produced by Archivo Blomberg: "Rolf and Ecuador", documentary short film by María Inés Armesto; and "Araceli: Color and Identity", documentary short film by Fabián Patinho. 2007: Presentation of Blomberg's short films in the "Imbabura Video Series", organized by Runas Contemporáneos and Viringa Producciones in Otavalo and Quito. 2006: Participation in the International Documentary Film Festival EDOC - Encounters of the Other Cinema, organized by the Cinememoria Corporation in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, with special segments dedicated to Blomberg. 2004: Participation in the International Documentary Film Festival EDOC - Encounters of the Other Cinema, organized by the Cinememoria Corporation in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, with special segments dedicated to Blomberg.
In addition to disseminating Rolf Blomberg's film work at festivals and public access screenings, Archivo Blomberg has also produced short documentaries:
2010: "Blomberg Returns," a feature-length documentary film that captures the experience of visits to communities portrayed in Blomberg's documentaries between 2004 and 2009, directed by Fabian Patinho and produced by Archivo Blomberg with the sponsorship of Fondo Agil of the CEP - Ecumenical Committee for Projects. 2008: "Water Routes - Travelers' Glances", directed by Fabián Patinho and co-produced by Archivo Blomberg and Yaku Water Museum Park, as museographic device, Quito. 2002: "Rolf and Ecuador", documentary short film by María Inés Armesto; and "Araceli: Color and Identity", documentary short film by Fabián Patinho, used as a museographic complement.
Research, as such, is a transversal axis that covers all the lines of work of Archivo Blomberg: both in the organization and description of the documentary fond as well as in the cultural management carried out for the activation of the heritage.
Throughout these years, the Archivo Blomberg Foundation has become a reference for national and foreign researchers, from high school students to doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. We have been consulted by scientists, indigenous and rural communities, citizen organizations, filmmakers, students and researchers of social sciences, natural sciences and art. In the case of Blomberg's film work, Archivo Blomberg shows the material and, if necessary, facilitates the researcher's contact with Swedish Television (SVT), which holds the copyright.
The pandemic of 2020 forced us to close the doors of the archive´s repository, limiting both access and activation of the heritage; but in 2021, we got the support of Iberarchivos, program to support the development of Ibero-American archives, to make an online descriptive catalog of the documentary units referring to Ecuador. We plan to continue this descriptive cataloging work and extend it to the entire documentary collection, which includes other countries in Latin America, Africa, Oceania and Europe.
“Blomberg, photographic retrospective in Manabí”. Museo del Banco Central - Bahía de Caráquez and Manta, 2004. Traveling exhibition about Ecuador, with emphasis on the Province of Manabí.
"Nocturnal Blomberg". Quito, 2011. Ten projections of photographs in the public space of the Historic Center sponsored by Quito Tourism Corporation.
"Blomberg Returns" project. Quinchuquí, 2007. Screening of "Pedro, an indigenous boy" (Rolf Blomberg, 1965) at the school where it was filmed, with former students and family members.
Project "Blomberg Returns". Sarayaku, Ecuadorian Amazon, 2009.
Editorial production of Archivo Blomberg until 2019.
Editorial production of Archivo Blomberg until 2019.
3rd EDOC International Documentary Film Festival - Encounters of the Other Cinema, with special segments dedicated to Blomberg. Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, 2004.
5th EDOC International Documentary Film Festival - Encounters of the Other Cinema, with special segments dedicated to Blomberg. Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, 2006.
