Photos capture stunning interior architecture

How often on your travels have you truly looked at the interior of a world heritage building or tourist attraction?

German photographer Candida Höfer is an artist who doesn’t miss a thing when it comes to the intricate features inside grand buildings.

Her latest exhibition, In Mexico, now open at New York’s Sean Kelly Gallery, celebrates the country’s stunning architectural history from the inside out.

Höfer’s body of work focuses on design and her striking images are often devoid of people but rich in architectural detail.

This exhibition features interiors of large scale public buildings including churches, theatres, libraries and museums.

For this project, Höfer travelled to Mexico in 2015 as part of a cultural exchange program and she photographed buildings that demonstrate the country’s rich architectural history.

Her photographs show a range of architectural styles from Baroque structures such as the Museo Nacional del Virreinato Tepotzotlán to Art Deco in the Edificio Basurto Ciudad de México.

Höfer argues that leaving people out of her images focuses the eye and the mind on how these large scale buildings are used in everyday life.

“I realised that what people do in those places and what the spaces do to them is more obvious when nobody is present, just as an absent guest can often become the topic of conversation,” she says.

The exhibition also looks at how light interacts with the smaller everyday features of buildings such as entrances and doorways.

These photographs such as the work entitled Shadow, highlight aspects of a building’s design that are often overlooked.

Among the more unusual buildings Höfer photographed is the UNESCO world heritage Hospicio Cabañas in Guadalajara.

Built in the 19th century, the building provided care and shelter for orphans, the infirm, the elderly and handicapped. The open plan and simple design of the building was considered unusual in its day.

Artist José Clemente Orozco painted a series of murals inside the building (above) that are considered classic works of Mexican art.

In 2014 Daniel Buren painted a series of colourful geometric murals inside 18 of the hospital’s 23 courtyards.

This article was originally published as Photos capture stunning interior architecture by www.realestate.com.au and written by Danielle Cahill