By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Friday, June 24th from 9AM to 4PM, the public is invited to help paint six giant panels that will be located on the Largo de São Francisco da Prainha, in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Saúde in the Zona Portuária (Port Zone) as part of the Happening Colorindo o Rio event.
The 1.85 meter high and 2.75m wide panels will feature the outlines of Rio de Janeiro landmarks including the Sambódromo, Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain), the neighborhood of Lapa, Central do Brasil, and the beaches of Copacabana and Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
The outlines are designed by artists Roberto Tavares, Paulo Jorge Gonçalves, Claudia Lyrio, Denize Torbes, Luiz Eugênio and Jean Araújo but it will be up to the public to color them in order to complete them.
Happening Colorindo o Rio is part of the Circuito Cultural Rio, (Rio Cultural Circuit), a cultural program that is sponsored by the Department of Culture and filled with events leading up to and through the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Happening Colorindo o Rio project is curated by Gerardo Torres, an Argentinian artist, who has spent the last four years in Rio de Janeiro helping to promote cultural projects between Brazil and Argentina.
“Colorindo o Rio is an opportunity to invite locals and tourists to, in a spontaneous way, splash colors in joy and camaraderie, ” said Torres in a released statement.
“A happening, is a multiple artistic expression, which looks for the free participation of the public, always with an ephemeral event feature,” Torres later added. “So they often occur in public places, breaking the aspect of everyday life.”
The event is open to all of the public including locals, foreign residents, and tourists who are young people, adults, and children (accompanied by adults).
What: Happening Colorindo o Rio
When: Friday, June 24th, 9AM – 4PM
Where: Largo de São Francisco da Prainha, Saúde
Entrance: FREE