PHOTO: Sylvia Masini

Postponed by the mayor of São Paulo, Bruno Covas, in July 2018, the public notice for the concession of parks in the city to the private sector was republished in early January of this year, causing several discussions about the destination of the spaces. The parks of Ibirapuera, Lajeado, Eucaliptos, Jacintho Alberto, Lieutenant Brigadeiro Faria Lima and Jardim da Felicidade were placed in the bidding process.

In the case of Ibirapuera, the concession is also a concern for issues involving the cultural spaces within the park. On Friday, March 1st, a representation was sent to the Public Ministry of São Paulo that shows fear about the future of the Pavilion of Brazilian Cultures, originally the Armando Arruda Pereira Pavilion.

The project presented by the municipal administration in the public notice aims to make the space into a mixed-use institution, which, according to the document sent to the MP “will certainly hinder its institutional strengthening. In addition, depending on shared use, a certain activity can put the valuable municipal collection there at risk, for example, the proximity of a kitchen to a technical reserve of works of art, or even the wide circulation of the public along with an area destined to the restoration and preservation of artistic heritage”. The representation is led by Carlos Augusto Calil, former Secretary of Culture of the City of São Paulo; Adélia Borges, curator and art critic; Pedro Mendes da Rocha, architect; Ana Helena Curti, professor of cultural management and producer, and Regina Ponte, cultural manager.

In the representation addressed to the attorney general of justice Gianpaolo Poggio Smanio, the allegation is that “the aforementioned public notice diversifies the use of the building, which will de-characterize the original project of the Pavilion of Brazilian Cultures”. Names such as Aurea Vieira, Agnaldo Farias, Davi Arrigucci Jr, Vilma Eid, Fábio Magalhães, ines Raphaelian, Ricardo Resende, Guilherme Wisnik, Mônica Nador, Miriam Lerner, Tadeu Chiarelli, Nuno Ramos, Regina Silveira, Ricardo Ohtake, among others.

The document also emphasizes that it has no intention of questioning the concession, by the municipality, of the park to the private sector, “but to warn you so that the Pavilhão das Culturas Brasileiras project is fully maintained, a unique and original institution in our city, the example of what was recognized for other cultural bodies – public or private – also installed in Ibirapuera Park, such as the Afro Brasil Museum, the MAM- Museum of Modern Art, the MAC-Museu de Arte Contemporânea da USP and the Fundação Bienal. None of its buildings are part of the concession plan”.

 


Sign up for our newsletter

Leave a comment

Please write a comment
Please write your name