São Paulo – A Tunisian restorer is taking part in the restoration of Monumento à Independência (Monument to the Independence) in the namesake park in the neighborhood of Ipiranga, São Paulo. Hela Djobbi is a member of the team that is restoring the embossed slogan “Independência ou Morte” (Independence or Death) on the monument’s façade. She studied Arts in Tunis, the capital of the North African country, before taking specialization studies on conservation/restoration of sculptures in France. Now she’s completing a four month internship, which is what brought her to São Paulo to execute these studies.
“We will restore the sculpture from corrosion and small cracks. Bring back its natural color, its features”, said the restorer to ANBA on Thursday (15). The Monument to the Independence, as well as the fountains and gardens in the Independence Park, were restored in the early 2000s and now are in need of a new restoration. “It’s normal to carry out these repairs from time to time, especially in sculptures located in open spaces”, she said.
This is Djobbi’s first time in São Paulo. She’s staying in Vila Mariana and took her time in the city to get to know famous art spots. “I went to Pinacoteca and Masp and also visited the Bienal de São Paulo. I thought it was very good”, she said. Her impression of the city went beyond the art collection. “In some ways, São Paulo is similar to Tunis. People value proximity and are very hospitable. I thought the city to be more organized than Tunis”, she said.
The restorer has been studying at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Tours, a city located an hour from the capital Paris. From 2011 and 2014, she worked in Tunisia’s main museum, the Bardo National Museum. The place has a rich collection of mosaics and sculptures from Ancient Greece. In March 2015, however, armed men invaded the museum and killed 22 people. The goal of the 34-year-old restorer is to return to Tunisia at the end of her course and work there with her husband to lay the groundwork for the profession in the country. “Culture is very important and Tunisia has a great and rich culture. We have to take care of it, preserve it”, she said.
The restoration of the Monument to the Independence currently includes the embossed slogan in the façade and the inside of the mausoleum, which holds the mortal remains of D. Pedro I and his two wives: empress Dona Leopoldina and empress Dona Amélia. The restoration project is being done by the Historic Heritage Department (DPH), agency of the Municipal Secretariat of Culture, which is responsible for the historic monuments of the city.
The project, with a budget of BRL 1.090 million (USD 330,000), is carried out by a team of seven restorers from KSA Fundição Artística headed by Antoine Amarger and Israel Kislansky.
“The restorers will restore the sculptures from surface wear, remove dirt and porosity. The structural part of the Monument will also be restored in this phase”, said Kislansky. This phase should be finished in two months. Other phases of the project, such as the restoration of the main sculpture of the Monument to the Independence, are still waiting for approval from the city.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
