Harnessing the positive vibes of Bahia’s grandest celebration of Afro-Brazilian culture, the Iemanjá festivities, we officially unveil the program for the new year. Pivô Salvador opens its doors to everyone for an unmissable event on February 1st, serving as a warm-up for the significant day that follows, February 2nd, dedicated to Iemanjá.

On the afternoon of February 1st, artist Lais Amaral, hailing from São Gonçalo (RJ) and our first resident of 2024, will lead the first Open Studio of the year. The program also features a discussion between curator Fernanda Brenner, resident artist Carla Santana, both artistic partners and founding members of the Trovoa collective – a national movement uniting artists, curators, and racialized art/educators.

Join us for captivating performances, “Can you see it? Or Piriguete é dois reais” by Val Souza (SP) and “ARU” by Otávio Portela (BA). The musical selection will be curated by Kikelomo, co-founder of Oroko Radio. Activating the culinary experience with a special lunch menu, we welcome our partner chef Pablo Cordier from Talo.

In a dual celebration, marking the opening of Pivô Salvador’s new year and the observance of Iemanjá on February 2nd, we join forces with the Oferendas Festival hosted by Lálá Casa de Arte in Rio Vermelho. Traditionally commencing on the evening of February 1st, this independent art and music festival gathers artists and the public in reverence to the sea queen, preceding and accompanying the celebratory rituals at dawn on February 2nd.

Through collaboration between the two institutions, resident artist Lais Amaral takes charge of the artistic elements in the communication of the Oferendas Festival and an artistic intervention on the iconic façade of the mansion hosting the cultural space for the festival. Lais’s work developed during her residency at Pivô Salvador becomes a gift to Iemanjá and the Rio Vermelho neighborhood, remaining in place indefinitely after the event.

As part of the Oferendas Festival’s lineup, we include Val Souza’s performance “Can you see it? Or Piriguete é dois reais” and the video installation within Lálá Casa de Arte, titled “Movement 1 – bath: where do the waters that inhabit oceanic bodies wander?” by Otávio Portela (BA).

Performance Descriptions
ARU: A symbolic bath drawing from the imagery of Afro-Brazilian religious practices, indigenous customs, and the culture of blessings in Brazil. Tracing memories residing in the waters, attempting to correlate poetic provocations through the interaction of the body and water with the various flows that water navigates, considering both oceanic and internal waters within us.

Can you see it? Or Piriguete é dois reais: A performative proposal where artist Val Souza arrives with a beverage cart, offering drinks and dancing. Roaming the streets with her luminous cart, Val acts as a mobile sound system or a traveling dance party, bringing close what society prefers to conceal.

Full information on the Oferendas Festival and lineup is available on the Instagram profile of Lálá Casa de Arte.

Pivô Salvador Opening Event

Thursday | February 1st, 2024
1 PM – 7 PM

At Pivô Salvador

Free Entry