City Hall presents the Rio Carnaval exhibition, with images of the first Carnival held in person post-covid-19

Curated by set designer, architect and artist Gringo Cardia and historian and writer Luiz Antônio Simas, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall opened the Rio Carnival exhibition at the Rio Art Museum (MAR) on Tuesday (20/2). The exhibition, which is part of the city's events calendar for the G20, occupies two areas of the museum – the ground floor and the fifth floor – and houses a projection booth, eighty screens, forty of which measure 1,50m x 2,00m and another forty of which measure 0,70cm x 1,00m, in addition to two large screens. This careful selection was made from a vast amount of material, with more than 800 photos and many hours of video footage.

– This exhibition manages to portray much of this art, of the cultural manifestations that represent the Brazilian Carnival, obviously starting from the Rio Carnival. There are beautiful scenes, incredible people coming from the Marquês de Sapucaí or during the parade. It is unmissable, it will be here at MAR for a while and will travel around Brazil and the world – said Mayor Eduardo Paes, remembering that the exhibition is part of the G20 events calendar, the biggest and most important geopolitical opportunity the country has ever had, even more so than the Olympic Games and the World Cup.

Photographers Fábio Ghivelder, João Farkas, Igor Souto and Leonardo Ramadinha took the photos side by side with artist Vik Muniz. The idea came from a bilingual Art Book (Portuguese-English) created by the municipal secretary of Tourism, Daniela Maia.

– The idea came about at the end of 2021. We didn’t have Carnival that year, so I started planning for 2022. I looked at the books and images we had of Carnival. And most of them were more journalistic and less artistic. And the art of Carnival needs to be immortalized, people need to see the beauty of Carnival and the beauty of the photographers’ perspective on the costumes, the culture, and the biggest popular festival in the world – said Daniela Maia.

Thus, Carnival gains its first major exposure, in a photographic and video journey with images clicked during the 2022 Special Group samba school parade, at Marquês de Sapucaí. It was the first Carnival held in person post-covid-19, on an alternative date, April 2022, which enhanced its emotional charge.

– This exhibition has a very symbolic value for the city of Rio. We called on photographers with a different perspective to showcase the culture and wonderful energy of our people. In particular, Carnival 2022 was the year of the return after COVID. The schools came out in force and brought the essence of Carnival. We want to showcase the vibrancy of the people of Rio, which reflects the history of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. And it shows why our people enchant the world so much – said Gringo Cardia.

The team of photographers took photos behind the scenes of the avenue, in a space transformed into a photo studio set up at the parade dispersion. These are photos of the school members in the heat of the excitement of Marquês de Sapucaí. Adrenaline, joy, hope, determination – all beating inside the beating heart of the dancers, flag bearers and baianas handpicked by the book's curators.

– We were just coming out of the pandemic and there was a reconstruction of Carnival. These images are essential because they record the components as soon as the parade ends. So, we have a very interesting mosaic about what the samba school parade is and how it fits into the city’s Carnival. I was invited to participate and I started writing the text thinking about Carnival and the importance of samba schools. This exhibition shows that Carnival is the great builder of the collective meaning of life in our city – said Luiz Antônio Simas.

The publication pays tribute to professionals who do not appear in the media, such as blacksmiths, embroiderers, lighting technicians, prop makers and seamstresses, as it is possible to identify the mastery of their skills in the smallest details contained in the photos. The result is an eternal record of the best of Rio's Carnival, avoiding journalistic photos or traditional coverage and bringing the tears, smiles, sweat and magic that make up the greatest show on earth.

– I have been watching the parades at Sapucaí for over 20 years; it is one of my favorite things to do in my life. And having the opportunity to have direct contact with all the people who left Apoteose was something I had already thought about. I was invited to write the book that resulted in this exhibition. It was a wonderful experience, a different Carnival for me. I saw what Carnival meant to each person who passed through that route – declared Vik Muniz.

After the exhibition at MAR, the exhibit is expected to travel to other locations. It is currently undergoing validation for presentation at some Brazilian embassies around the world, through the Guimarães Rosa Institute, the cultural arm of the Itamaraty. All this is aimed at attracting more tourists to the Marvelous City.

Rio Art Museum

MAR is a museum of the City of Rio and its conception is the result of a partnership between the Municipal Secretariat of Culture and the Roberto Marinho Foundation. In January 2021, the Rio Art Museum began to be managed by the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI).

– For the OEI, the Rio Art Museum represents a space for strengthening access to culture, education and plurality, closely related to the territory in which it is located. In addition to contributing to training in the arts and education, Rio de Janeiro, with its history and expressions, is the raw material for our work – commented the director and head of the OEI representation in Brazil, Leonardo Barchini.

 

Service:

Rio Carnival Exhibition
Regular visitation: from February 21st to May 19th – ground floor and 5th floor
Rio Art Museum: Praça Mauá, number 5, downtown
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 18pm (entry until 17pm)
The Rio Carnaval exhibition has free entry
More information on www.museudeartedorio.org.br

Category:

• News
• SMTUR

February 20, 2024

Appointments: Carnival Exhibition Photos Rio Art Museum City Hall of Rio Rio Carnival