ANBA made a visit to Casa da Boia and spoke with Rizkallah Jorge\u2019s grandson, M\u00e1rio Rizkallah, who runs the business these days; Casa da Boia Cultural director, fine artist and M\u00e1rio\u2019s wife Adriana Rizkallah, and historian and project curator Renata Gereissati. \u201cThe exhibit will be four-pronged, covering the founder\u2019s personal history, his urbanization work, his charity work, and Casa da Boia itself,\u201d said Gereissati.<\/p>\n
(story continues after photo gallery)<\/p>\n
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThe history of Casa da Boia is one of family, migration, the business, the villa, and at the same time there\u2019s room for art and culture,\u201d said Adriana. According to her, the shop\u2019s resignification process has been going on since 2014, starting with a cleaner, more sensory-oriented product presentation. \u201cNow, people can touch and interact with the goods, everything\u2019s more clearly arranged, and the copper piping, the company\u2019s trademark material, connects past and present, permeating the whole store as a d\u00e9cor item and providing a unifying thread to its history,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Adriana explained that over-the-counter service is another of the store\u2019s trademarks, so she set out to highlight it by having the counter stand out. \u201cThe cultural space is the entire store,\u201d said she, who\u2019s planning to eventually open a caf\u00e9 on the second floor. Over time, there will be workshops, lectures, exhibitions and art events. \u201cThrough this work we want to bring back the trade, the art, the craftsmanship, and we\u2019re reconnecting with all of the communities that revolve around Casa da Boia: artists, architects, artisans, engravers, to make this a gregarious environment, she went on.<\/p>\n
Upon entering, customers see hydraulic and electric items, gardening tools and kitchen appliances alongside historical objects, ancient plaques and the building\u2019s very architecture, all of which makes for a bona fide museum.<\/p>\n
Initially a foundry and store, the business now distributes and sells non-ferrous metals, construction items and handicraft. \u201cOur business was no longer able to distribute as fast as other bigger companies, so we couldn\u2019t compete in industry anymore,\u201d said M\u00e1rio. Casa da Boia distributes raw material to small manufacturers and artisans, and then sells their finished products at the store and wholesale.<\/p>\n
History<\/strong><\/p>\n Born in Syria to Armenian parents, Rizkallah Jorge arrived in Brazil in 1895. He had been a blacksmith in his homeland. In Brazil, he started out as janitor at a foundry, because he didn\u2019t speak the language. In 1898, after learning Portuguese, he opened his own business \u2013 S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s first copper foundry \u2013, where he\u2019d sell d\u00e9cor items. In 1909, he opened the store and foundry in the villa where it until this day.<\/p>\n Rizkallah was a prominent member of the Arab community in S\u00e3o Paulo and is held in high esteem by the Armenian community as well. Apart from his artistic work and his flair for business, he became known for his generosity and charity work, as well as for his contributions in urbanism.<\/p>\n Quick facts<\/strong><\/p>\n The exhibition will be open from May 14 to to 29, Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 4?30 pm, and admission is free. Anniversary celebrations will also include a lecture by historian Renata Gereissati, Um art\u00edfice na urbaniza\u00e7\u00e3o paulistana: a atua\u00e7\u00e3o de Rizkallah Jorge em S\u00e3o Paulo, de 1895 a 1949<\/em>\u00a0(A contributor to urbanization: the work of Rizkallah Jorge in S\u00e3o Paulo, from 1895 to 1949), on June 6 from 2 pm to 4 pm. Registration is available on the\u00a0Casa da Boia website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n