In the center of Porto Alegre, in the South of Brazil, you will find a space built by art, ancestry and Brazilianness. The Custódio Gallery is one of those places where we “feel the energy” as soon as we set foot on the right foot. This, I believe, is perhaps due to the history of the creation of the place, or else, to all the cultural baggage that it has accumulated.
Founded in 2023 by Anderson Coelho, the Custódio Gallery is located at Rua Riachuelo, 1100, in the center of the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul. Some exhibitions have already been held on the ground floor of the building. The first, known as “Open the Way”, had as its central theme the figure of the Orixá Bará, Exu, as the main force. Conceived with this ancient power and with the union between art and spirituality, this first act was not just a religious exhibition, but an exhibition that was intended to be the fundamental pillar of the construction of a new art space.
In African-based religions, the Orixá Exu is the one who opens, cares for, and closes all paths. According to Anderson, founder of the place, “We cannot talk about “Opening Paths” without his presence, the person responsible for the movement and the owner of the keys to all the paths of our lives”.
And with the paths open, the show began. So far, the gallery has hosted other exhibitions, such as “Born Twice”, an individual by João Arthur Lehr Moroni, and “The Purity of the Flower”, which brought together a group of 13 artists, including Robinho Santana - visual artist and graffiti artist from Diadema, known for his graffiti scattered across São Paulo's skyscrapers.
We spoke with Anderson to understand the next steps, paths and crossroads that the Custódio Gallery intends to take. Check out the interview below.
What was the initial reason for creating the Gallery? At what point in your trajectory did space begin to be thought of in your mind?
Art in my life was a late encounter, only at the age of thirty, I remember being in an art space. However, it was enough for me to realize the power that art has.
I believe that people in general underestimate the power of art, believe that it is something superfluous and worthless. I believe that if we think like this, we will never have control of our history as a people (especially Black people) art serves as a point of arrival, a guide to what and how we have lived up to now, in addition to a powerful force of self-esteem.
The gallery appeared in this place, giving space and voice, for people to have the experience of living with art and artists to show their work.
When we think of black representation in the art market, how do you think this impacts the repercussion and acceptance of space in the environment in which it is structured?
Today is better than yesterday and we hope that in the future it will be better than today. But we still live in a country where the dominance of art is white and elitist. However, there are great artists and great black people taking the leading role of art in our country. I don't care much about acceptance in the gallery, I want us to increasingly be seen as an emancipating cultural space without depending on the validation of white people saying what art is, etc. The Custódio Gallery was born with this purpose of emancipating this thought of “permission”.
What is the Gallery's relationship with new immersive technologies? How do you see the future of physical space with the interaction of virtual technologies?
I believe that technology will greatly influence the market, but when thinking about paintings, sculptures and manual techniques in general, I find it difficult to lose the role of the human essence. But technical tours guided by digital tours, I believe, are a reality that tends to grow and become increasingly professional, among other possibilities for interaction.
But the real revolution would be black people creating and fostering our art market without relying on “fashion” to value our culture. I really like an excerpt from a song by JAY Z - The Story of O.J where he says: I bought some artwork for one million
Two Years Later, That Shit Worth Two Million
A few years later, that shit worth eight million
Translation: I bought some works of art for a million. Two years later, that shit was worth two million. A few years later, that shit was worth eight million.
Finally, ask: Why do you think that the biggest art collectors in Brazil are banks?
