Dedicated to the archive of photographer Chichico Alkmim, produced in the early decades of the 20th century in the city of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, the show was presented at the three venues of the Instituto Moreira Salles–in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Poços de Caldas–as well as in Belo Horizonte, at the Palácio das Artes.

The exhibition brought together different aspects of the city’s urban life and landscape over four decades, which were organized chronologically and distributed across immersive rooms that synthesize the various phases of the photographer’s work.

The exhibition design developed specific solutions for each environment, considering the theme and the scale of the works to create a dynamic and varied visitor experience. A recurring element was the use of wood in the design of supports, structures, and benches–a material that, in a contemporary way, evokes the era and the city of origin of the photographer, reinforcing the relationship between the exhibition design and the show’s historical and cultural context.

Among the highlights is a large backlit panel displayed 200 glass plate negatives, forming a luminous stained-glass-like wall and allowing direct contact with the original photographic medium. A small annex was transformed into a kind of music box, where visitors, in addition to viewing the photographs, could listen to compositions from the era in an intimate setting, enhancing the exhibition’s sensorial experience.

Chichico Alkmim: Fotógrafo
Instituto Moreira Salles, 2017 (RJ), 2018 (SP e Poços de Caldas), 2020 (BH)
Curatorship: Eucanaã Ferraz
Photos: Leonardo Wen (RJ), Renato Parada (SP), Nino Andrés (BH)

Bienal Iberoamericana de Diseño BID – Premio Diseño para (por y con) la Cultura, Mención Diseño de espacios e interiorismo