Comlurb's containers and waste bins receive artistic interventions for Rio's Art Week.

The project “I Laugh a Lot – From Trash to Treasure” is curated by the artist Susi Sielski Cantarino, responsible for the artistic conception and selection of the artists - Photo: Press Release/Comlurb

Comlurb will not only ensure the cleanliness and maintenance of the areas where the Rio Art Week events take place, from September 16th to 27th. As a legacy for the city, renowned artists will transform 17 high-capacity containers (1.200 liters) and 50 waste bins into works of urban art. The initiative combines art, urban cleaning, and the enhancement of public space, contributing to a more beautiful, organized, and welcoming landscape for residents and visitors.

The project, called “I Laugh a Lot – From Trash to Treasure,” is curated by artist Susi Sielski Cantarino, responsible for the artistic conception and the selection of invited contemporary visual artists. The curatorial team will bring together artists from different generations, backgrounds, and languages ​​of contemporary art, including Anna Bella Geiger, Walter Carvalho, Cadu, Jeane Terra, Gaia, Jota, Jorge Barata, Antônio Amancio, Fernando Viana, Marzio Fiorini, Alessandra Bobba, Adriana Carneiro – Luiza Carneiro Padovano, Thelma Innecco, and José Columbano. Anna Bella Geiger is one of the greatest living artists in Brazil, over 90 years old. A historical figure at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio, Anna Bella, a prize winner at the Venice Biennale, chose a wastepaper basket for the artistic intervention. Alexei Waichenberg participates as a partner in the project, contributing to its articulation and development.

The initiative stems from a powerful idea: to transform what normally goes unnoticed into an object of attention, beauty, and reflection. Thus, containers and waste bins, essential elements of urban infrastructure, become supports for interventions by contemporary artists. Each piece of equipment functions as a small public artwork, creating an open-air artistic route and inviting residents, visitors, and tourists to see Rio de Janeiro in a new way.

The first circuit will be implemented in the central region of Rio de Janeiro, with the possibility of integration into areas of high cultural and tourist traffic. The route will be strategically planned, allowing the interventions to be visited on foot, photographed, shared, and incorporated into the visitor's experience.