Rio de Janeiro is a city that is known for many things. From being the face of Brazil to hosting both the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games, the city has a vibrant culture with something for everyone. Recently, it has been found that the city is home to a rising contemporary art scene that has both foreigners and local art collectors flocking to the city. Many local artists take their inspirations from the city itself. With so much culture going on around them, the artists have inspiration everywhere they look. This helps to translate over to wonderful new forms of contemporary art.

The Art

With the rising economic outlook in Brazil, young artists now have the opportunity to truly pursue art as their career path. This has opened the doors for these young artists to explore the city and be inspired by what they see. It is becoming more and more frequent to see the youthfulness and vibrant colors in the art from Rio de Janeiro that you would expect to find elsewhere in the world. The blend of the stationary art with that of the fast moving city puts everything into perspective. It is a new and exciting time for the arts in the city. Older artists have commented that the work is changing because of the new Brazil and the outlook of the country. In past times, the outlook was much darker and this was reflected in the art. Today’s artists are changing that perception of Brazilian art and it has both artists and collectors coming from all over the world to take a look at these new ideas.

Parks

Known as the Inhotim, A 8,000 square acre Art Park as opened in Brazil. This truly shows how the newfound wealth is going hand in hand with expanding the culture of the artists. It is seen as perhaps a theme park for the mind. Covering the land is art as you walk through the park. It shows how the country is growing and taking on new challenges that it would not have had the opportunity to do so in the past. Rio has recently started an international art festival to help draw in more and more people from around the country. Even just five years ago things like this would not have been possible. The government is partly responsible for this boom, as it recognizes that doing so will help put the city on the map and draw the country even further.

Where Rio de Janeiro and Brazil go from here is up in the air. With more and more galleries and exhibitions opening every month, it could simply be a temporary boom. However, for the time being there is no question that Brazil is on the map for contemporary art. Look for big things from the country in the near future and more and more artists are able to express themselves with new financial freedom and can draw inspiration from the cities that are home to them.