First Exhibitions of FotoRio 2016 Open, June 6th to July 23rd

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The first two exhibitions of the ninth edition of the Foto Rio–Encontro Internacional de Fotografia do Rio de Janeiro, (International Photo Rio Meeting of Photography in Rio de Janeiro) opened on June 6th in Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica. The two exhibitions, “Carlos Vergara – Um Percurso em imagens” and “Delírios Coletivos”, will remain on display through July 23rd.

The works featured in the “Delírios Coletivos” exhibition were created by seven artists of the Coletivo Norte Comum while traveling on foot one morning from Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone neighborhood of Benfica to the Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica, located in the city’s Centro (Downtown) area.

Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica’s immersive works from the 60s and 70s inspired the project leading the artists to capture images ranging from a busy bus station at dawn to graffiti to interesting items thrown away in the trash.

“We left at 5:40 AM, walked, and took pictures of the city waking up, this Rio (river) that ends up flowing into the center,” Norte Comum member Safira Moreira told Agência Brasil.

“The idea was to keep people on the routes, you only do by car or bus, to be in direct contact with the street, with places that people spend all day but always see by car or bus,” member Roberto Barrucho added.

Curated by Pedro Vasquez, the “Carlos Vergara – Um Percurso em imagens” is a solo exhibition of photos and videos by artist Carlos Vergara.

Vergara is considered a pioneer in exploring the creative potential of photography. In the early 70s, Vergara first began to gain recognition through his photos of Rio de Janeiro Carnvial bloco Cacique de Ramos.

The two exhibitions are the first two of forty-four exhibitions, seminars, and events that will take place in over a dozen Rio de Janeiro venues as part of the 2016 edition of the Foto Rio–Encontro Internacional de Fotografia do Rio de Janeiro.

For more information about the “Carlos Vergara – Um Percurso em imagens” and “Delírios Coletivos” exhibitions and about all of the FotoRio 2016 events, see the website.

What: Foto Rio–Encontro Internacional de Fotografia do Rio de Janeiro
When: “Carlos Vergara – Um Percurso em imagens” and “Delírios Coletivos” exhibitions – June 6th through July 23rd
Where: Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica, R. Luís de Camões – Centro, RJ
Entrance: FREE