Retrospective 2007 - Part I

Art and architecture will always walk side by side. Here at Castelinho38 this connection is always present. The past year was culturally rich for us. We made new partnerships, opened cultural events, and diverse expositions decorated our rooms. Contigo magazine completed a photo essay at Castelinho38 and we were featured in two magazine articles: “Viver em Santa Teresa” in Casa Claudia (Nov./2007) and “Torres Cariocas” in the Journal do Brasil’s Domingo magazine (Nov./2007). The telenovela “Amor e Intrigas” also filmed on location at Castelinho38. So much to talk about! Let’s take it in parts...

In the beginning of the year we hosted a plastic arts exposition by Fabiola Moraes. With a Master’s in cultural heritage and a concentration in anthropology, the artist seeks in her work to analytically consider images of diverse origin, such as urban scenes or icons from the history of art, with the purpose of emphasizing features and particular structures. Some of her work, like other artists that also exhibited here in 2007 (Nilton Pinho, Fernando Mendonça, Jean-Baptiste Dechery, Adriano Melhem, Maria di Andréa, Peter Miro, and Zé Abbra) can be seen in our rooms.

During February we hosted the theatre group “Sobrevento” specialists in animation and puppet’s theatre. Soon after, in April and May, the theatre group “Lume” graced our space. In their “Carioca” season they conducted theatrical presentations and workshops. Tadashi Endo, director, choreographer, and Japanese ballet dancer, celebrated his 60th birthday with us by performing three shows here in Rio.


Sobrevento's show


Dr. Brian Wilson (Babalawo Ifa Adentunde professor of Contemporary Percussion at Brooklyn College of Music in New York) also spent time at Castelinho38. He was here to participate in a cultural exchange program that seeks to share and spread knowledge on “Ifa: African Wisdom”. The program allowed us to better understand African culture, which, for most of us is still a subject barely explored.

In June we continued our cultural work. During the last weekend of the month Santa Teresa held its annual “Portas Abertas”, an event with diverse cultural activities where the principal attractions are the ateliers that open their doors for visitation. Castelinho38 participated in the cultural itinerary by hosting an exposition by a neighbourhood artist cooperative, the live installation “Homunculus”, and an animated party with music from DJ Mary Byker.


“Homunculus”

In the period between June and July, Castelhino38 lent its support and partnership to FotoRio2007-The International Photography Festival of Rio de Janeiro. Castelhino38 hosted participating photographers of the event. Soon after FotoRio2007, the exposition “Invaded City: An Itinerant Project between Brazil and Spain,” which explores the conflicted and chaotic relationship between urban space and nature, and their manifestation as forces of organization and destruction, was hosted at Castelhino38.