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For posterity: transformation of urban memories into pure art

11 March, 2026

José Alfonso Espada, professor of the Graphic Design program at the University of Cauca, received the distinction of Laureate Thesis for his research Imagined City, presented in the Master’s Degree in Research-Creation in Art and Context at the Universidad de Nariño.

Last Friday, August 8, in the city of Pasto, the renowned professor from the University of Cauca and artist José Alfonso Espada presented the defense of his graduate thesis; it received the highest possible score of 100 points from the evaluation committee, granting it the distinction of Laureate Thesis in recognition of its academic, research, and creative excellence. The committee was composed of Professors Edith María Benavides Cuaspa, Orlando Morillo Santacruz, and Mario Madroñero Morillo, who highlighted the solidity of the project and the artistic sensitivity with which it is developed. This achievement, born of a passion for creation and academic rigor, reflects this professor’s commitment to continuing to transform lives and make dreams come true through art and research.

The project Imagined City consists of 96 pieces, including drawings and watercolors created by the author, as well as collective creation processes with urban communities. “Imagined City is a critical and aesthetic reflection based on the experience of going out to draw the city within the cultural project Drawing Popayán,” explains Professor José Alfonso, who for the past 10 years has led this initiative, which has made it possible to gather diverse perspectives on the city of Cauca. His research reconstructs a historical journey, from the drawings made by nineteenth-century travelers to contemporary representations that reveal how Popayán has changed and continues to transform.

But how much do we truly know about this talented artist of great renown? José Alfonso Espada is an artist from Popayán, a stained-glass maker, illustrator, graphic designer, and professor at this house of thought, who has successfully combined artistic creation with academic training. His trajectory in urban drawing has led him to share his knowledge in workshops held in different cities and to participate as a speaker at renowned events and universities across the country. With more than 150 drawings and watercolors, his work constitutes a valuable testimony to a life devoted to art and teaching.

For Professor Espada, the city is also memory and narrative: “The imagined city emerges from memories, recollections, stories, and accounts that have been transmitted both through oral tradition and through reviews, chronicles, and travelers’ observations that, from their perspectives, offered portrayals of the realities of past eras, from which longings for a past that people seek to beautify through the filter of nostalgia have been strengthened.”

His reflection invites us to recognize that Popayán is more than the image of an idyllic city with its colonial historic center; it is also the everyday city that beats within the routines of its inhabitants.

“In memories, recollections, and nostalgias, the imagination can enrich or embellish the ideas or images that have been engraved in our minds; imaginaries and stories begin to be woven, stories we will start to tell and that, in turn, are nourished by daydreams or evocations in which reality is often magnified or exalted,” the professor notes in a reflective tone.

Finally, the University of Cauca celebrates Professor José Alfonso Espada’s commitment to academic excellence and to the promotion of projects that integrate art, research, and community, demonstrating that knowledge is built from creativity and that every work is also an opportunity to change the way we understand our history and our cities. Congratulations, professor, on this achievement that today allows us to honor your work!