“Como Habitar Abismos” Exhibition Opens in Flamengo

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Exploring, through the use of embroidery, the themes of intimacy, female eroticism, and the ambiguities of home, the exhibition “Como Habitar Abismos” (How to Inhabit Gaps) will open on July 2nd in Castelinho do Flamengo – Centro Cultural Oduvaldo Vianna Filho. Continuing through September 4th, the exhibition is the first solo showing of works by artist, researcher and educator Mariana Guimarães.

The inspiration for the pieces in “Como Habitar Abismos” came partly from the works of French philosopher and poet Gaston Bachelard, whose writings included the exploration of the ideas of homes, their spaces, how people inhabit those spaces and are affected by them.

“The house is the sanctuary of our intimacy, our nudity, but also the location of ambiguities,” said Guimarães in a released statement. “The place is a host, but it is also where there are hidden interdictions, oppressions, and violence. It is a holy place but is treated as a smaller entity. There are ambiguities that interest me, the different sides that are part of existence, like embroidery which has its two sides. I try to walk between them. ”

Produced by Arthur Moura and curated by Beatriz Lemos, “Como Habitar Abismos” will span eight rooms located on three floors of the Castelinho do Flamengo located in Rio de Janeiro’s neighborhood of Flamengo. The exhibition will include installations, photographs, and embroidered pieces.

“The fact that Mariana is also an educator and researcher, with a great interest in women’s history is very important for her work as an artist,” said Lemos. “There is a discourse based on her works. And the choice of Castelinho do Flamengo is very fortuitous due to the fact that it was once a private space and still maintains comfortable divisions. It makes the audience experience like entering the house of the artist or being in a house that keeps secrets.”

Admission to the exhibition will be free.

What: “Como Habitar Abismos” Exhibition
When: July 2nd – September 4th, Tuesdays through Sundays 10AM to 6PM.
Where: Castelinho do Flamengo – Centro Cultural Oduvaldo Viana Filho, Praia do Flamengo, 158 – Flamengo
Entrance: FREE