Brazil drive-thru art exhibit provides cultural enrichment during pandemic

Sao Paulo, Jul 23 (efe-epa).- A drive-thru art exhibition that is the first of its kind in Brazil is providing a unique way for people in this giant metropolis to appreciate paintings and other works from the safety of their vehicles during the pandemic.

With museums and art galleries in Sao Paulo closed due to that city’s Covid-19 mitigation measures, the “Drivethru.Art” exhibit was inaugurated in an old, shuttered factory in mid-July and received hundreds of visitors in its first week.

Paintings and works of photographic and digital art are displayed on a total of 18 giant screens in the exhibit, which people can view from their own automobiles or from vehicles that are provided free of charge by organizers and are operated by drivers using personal protective equipment.

“It’s an attempt to give the city a lift through art and culture,” Luiz Maluf, the curator of the exhibit, told Efe.

Home to around 17 million inhabitants, Sao Paulo is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil. Although its numbers have stabilized in recent days, the metropolis thus far has reported more than 200,000 confirmed cases and 10,000 deaths attributed to Covid-19.

Maluf said the idea behind the exhibit was to provide a respite from the “chaos we’re experiencing” and “make this exhibit accessible to everyone, even for those who don’t have a car and arrive on public transport.”

The exhibition, located in the city’s Vila Leopoldina district, is particularly noteworthy because it was “conceived of, planned and created during the pandemic (and) was not adapted,” said Maluf, who added that an audio guide to the artwork is available to visitors via a mobile phone app.

The exhibit is based on the theme of diversity and features both newly exhibited artists and those whose works had been displayed at galleries previously, according to the curator, who added that all of the artists tackle issues such as “gender, intersexuality, the environment, women (and) indigenous culture.”

One visitor, Patricia Magalhaes, lauded the idea of making art available to people during the pandemic, while her friend, Daiane Regina, said she valued the opportunity to leave her home and appreciate artistic creation in this unprecedented exhibit. EFE-EPA

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