By Mary Carroll, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This September, six famous artists from different parts of the world will occupy public spaces in Rio with their art installations. The idea is to turn the city of Rio itself into one giant public art gallery, making comtemporary art accessible to all. The artists were brought to Rio through the project OiR (Other Ideas for Rio) – a deliberate anagram for Rio.
“The challenge of contemporary art is to increase your audience. And how to do this? Bringing great works to public spaces” says Marcello Dantas, curator for the project.
Robert Morris, a key figure in the world of minimalism, is building a maze of glass that will be displayed in the middle of Cinelândia. The English musician, Brian Eno, who has produced the likes of U2 and Dave Bowie, will be setting up his audiovisual art installation 77 Million Paintings at the Arcos da Lapa.
Responsible for the enormous LED screens which spouted water out onto the streets in Chicago, renowned Catalonian artist artist Juame Plensa, will place his large sculpture in the shape of a human head at Flamengo beach.
Englishman Andy Goldsworthy’s, who usually works with natural materials, will have his work showcased at Zona Portuária (the harbor area), as well Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda in Arpoador, and Brazilian Henrique Oliveira in Madureira.
On September 7th, all six artists will introduce their masterpieces to the city. The choice of locations, which the artists themselves picked out, is as diverse as the their different styles and techniques. The works of art will be on display until November 2nd. The public art project will run every two years until 2016 with new artists showing their creations.
Read more (in Portuguese).
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