100 Artists Featured in Rio Photo Exhibit October 15th

By Sarah Brown, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Galeria Oriente in Gloria will present an ambitious photo exhibition on Saturday, October 15th. Contemporary Cabinet of Curiosities will reunite one hundred photographers and artists in a showcase of immense diversity in skills, talents and artistic license.

The event will take place at Galeria Oriente, a gallery inside the photo studio and school, Ateliê Oriente. The studio opened in 2010 as a hub for photography yet expanded this year to integrate new projects such as a public gallery and a photography school, providing a stimulating and photography-focused environment.

The exhibition will demonstrate the incredible diversity of photography techniques and areas of interest, with artists displaying photos that were developed under different media and technical styles. Some of the artists invited to showcase their work include Adriana Tabalipa, Bob N, Claudia Bakker, Fernando de La Rocque, Frederico Dalton, Gustavo Speridião, Joaquim Paiva, Kitty Paranaguá, Luiza Marcier, Monica Barki, Paulo Batelli, Piti Tomé, Renan Cepeda, Rogério Reis, Rosana Ricaldi, Suzana Queiroga, Vicente de Mello and Walter Carvalho.

Marco Antonio Portela organized the event with the hope of providing visibility to different artists and different artistic pathways. Portela is a visual artist and a member of the Ateliê Oriente. He works as a professor in post-graduations at UCAM (Universidade Cândido Mendes) and has been responsible for the creation of many photo exhibitions throughout Rio de Janeiro.

“In this exhibition, the diversity of artists, the poetic posssibilities, of multiple ways that curiously connect our time to the displays; thw spaces of curiosities from the 16th century, a period of great discoveries and of a variety of new objects, plants, cultures and ideas.” explains Portela, reflecting on the ideas that are underlying the exhibition.

“The exhibition plan, therefore, tries to trace an aesthetic parallel to the excessive assemblies from that period, to show these leading modern museums and their expository structures as we know of today.” he adds.

Portela explains some loose instructions of the exhibition, with photos fitting to a 25 x 25cm format. “My curatorial role is to generously provide visibility opportunities for artists of different paths. Determining a 25 x 25 cm format is a subtle attempt of ordering the event, even though many artists find a way around this condition, with the curatorial approval. Furthermore, I believe that this provides equal conditions for all participants.”

The event will begin Saturday, October 15th as the opening night, beginning at 5PM and continuing until 8PM. The exhibition will remain open until Saturday, November 19th. The usual functioning hours are Monday to Friday from 2PM until 8PM. It is a great opportunity to see a rare collection of such diversity and talent, and also to know the school for anyone wishing to participate in photographic studies or seeking a dynamic hub for photographic discussions.

What: Contemporary Cabinet of Curiosities
Where: Ateliê Oriente, R. do Rússel, 300/401 – Glória – Tel: (21) 3495-3800
When: Saturday, October 15th – Saturday, November, 19th
Entrance: see venue for details.