{"id":317244,"date":"2022-08-29T17:27:23","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T20:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/eduardo-kobra-pinta-mural-em-frente-ao-museu-da-imigracao\/"},"modified":"2022-08-31T18:04:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T21:04:13","slug":"eduardo-kobra-paints-wall-in-sao-paulos-immigration-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/eduardo-kobra-paints-wall-in-sao-paulos-immigration-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Eduardo Kobra paints wall in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Immigration Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 A wall in front of S\u00e3o Paulo state\u2019s Immigration Museum was transformed into windows with eight characters from different backgrounds to celebrate the diversity of migrants and refugees in Brazil. The newest work by artist Eduardo Kobra is the 736-square-meter mural \u2018Windows Open to the World\u2019<\/strong> [\u2018Janelas Abertas para o Mundo\u2019], located in the Mooca neighborhood on the east side of S\u00e3o Paulo city. Among the real people portrayed in the vibrant colors that are the artist\u2019s signature, three are Arabs from Libya<\/strong>, Palestine<\/strong>, and Iraq<\/strong>. The others are from Venezuela, Angola (2), and India (2).<\/p>\n

\"\"
(Right to left) Artist Eduardo Kobra with the Iraqis Seema, his mother Heifaa, and sister Safana<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along the 5.8 meters high 127-meter-long mural, in painted windows, are portrayed Noura Bader, 35 years old (Palestine); Prisc\u00edlia Mbuku Bazonga, 12 (Libya); Seema Bashar Hameed Aluqla, 8 (Iraq); Andres Samuel Peralta Guedez, 15 (Venezuela); Mafueni Delfina, 9, and Mabanza Victor James Henoe, 6 (Angola); Vijay Bavaskar, 52, and Deepali Bavaskar, 49 (India). Kobra spoke with each refugee to learn about their stories and personalities.<\/p>\n

The muralist highlighted the importance of hospitality. \u201cIt is necessary to open the windows, but also the doors, eyes, and hearts to welcome these people who resigned their homelands and needed, for many reasons, to move. May they be happy and able to rebuild their lives on Brazilian soil,\u201d said Kobra in a statement.<\/p>\n

The building, now a museum, was originally an inn<\/strong> that received migrants, many refugees, who often stood at their windows watching the new city. Now, visitors in the gardens of the Museum of Immigration can see the windows of the mural and maybe, become interested in the stories of the people portrayed and the issue of the millions of refugees worldwide.<\/p>\n

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Palestinian Noura and Eduardo Kobra<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSymbolically, a wall is a barrier, something we don\u2019t need in the world. It separates, determines differences, and prevents coming and going. That\u2019s why I chose to show the characters in the open windows, looking out at the people passing by, often indifferently,\u201d said the artist.<\/p>\n

According to Kobra, indifference is as harmful as hatred and prejudice against migrants and refugees. \u201cMore than ever, the colors I use in my works have a very special meaning here. People, with their diverse origins, cultures, and characteristics, make the country \u2013 and the world! \u2013 more beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Arab characters<\/strong><\/p>\n

The young Prisc\u00edlia<\/strong> (pictured above<\/em>), born in Libya, is one of the characters in the mural. She and her family moved to Congo due to war but soon sought refuge in another country due to political unrest. They arrived in Brazil in 2014. With the support of a humanitarian organization, they started a Portuguese course and were housed in an inn. The possibility of living in peace<\/strong> is a positive aspect mentioned by Prisc\u00edlia\u2019s mother, Mamie, who also remembered how sad it was to start all over again, away from her family, loved ones, and former job. The young Libyan highlighted what she likes most when she sees herself on the mural is the fact of \u201chaving open arms.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m hugging people. And that\u2019s exactly what I want: For everyone who looks at this painting to feel embraced,\u201d said Prisc\u00edlia.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Palestinian Noura portrayed in the mural \u2018Windows Open to the World\u2019<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After getting married, at the age of 21, Palestinian Noura<\/strong>, born in Gaza<\/strong>, moved with her husband to Saudi Arabia. Due to their origin, they were unable to obtain documentation or work and were prevented from returning to their home country due to the closing of borders. When they received an invitation from a friend who lived in Brazil, they did not think twice about moving to another continent and country, with their two children, in 2016. In a few years, they gained Brazilian citizenship, and it was in the South American country Noura had her third child.<\/p>\n

Seema<\/strong> is an Iraqi born in Jordan, just like her three brothers, and it was there her family moved due to the war. She has been in Brazil for four years and has already suffered many challenges in her eight years of life, but she opens an ear-to-ear spontaneous smile and makes others believe life is good and worthwhile. She was delighted with the expression on her face captured by Kobra: \u201cMy smile turned out really nice. I loved it. It is important even if something is difficult or bothering us, we never take the smile off our face,\u201d said Seema.<\/p>\n

Production<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Kobra presents his new wall painting<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To carry out the work, Kobra counted on the partnership of the humanitarian organization I Know My Rights (IKMR), which indicated the portrayed immigrants. By the end of September, Kobra will make an exclusive art piece with the mural\u2019s image. All proceeds from the sale in an online auction will be donated to IKMR. The auction date is not yet determined.<\/p>\n

The mural has the support of S\u00e3o Paulo state train company CPTM and sponsorship, through the Brazilian Federal Law of Culture Incentive, of health and hospital services company Rede D\u2019Or. The Immigration Museum \u2013 an institution of the Culture and Creative Economy Secretariat of the State of S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 is located at Rua Visconde de Parna\u00edba, 1316, Mooca, S\u00e3o Paulo – SP.<\/p>\n

Translated by El\u00fasio Brasileiro<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alan Teixeira<\/div>\n
Alan Teixeira<\/div>\n
Alan Teixeira<\/div>\n
Alan Teixeira<\/div>\n
Alan Teixeira<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The mural \u2018Windows Open to the World\u2019 has 736 square meters and is in front of the museum in the east side of S\u00e3o Paulo city. Among the eight real characters portrayed are Arab immigrants from Libya, Palestine, and Iraq.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2316,"featured_media":317204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,3066],"tags":[30667,2958,591,27310,34530,30668,32775,6949,34531,34532,34534,29033,29300,12577,9897,34535,34533],"class_list":{"0":"post-317244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"category-society","9":"tag-eduardo-kobra-en","10":"tag-immigration-museum","11":"tag-iraq","12":"tag-iraque-en","13":"tag-janelas-abertas-para-o-mundo-en","14":"tag-kobra-en","15":"tag-libia-en","16":"tag-libya","17":"tag-mural-janelas-en","18":"tag-mural-kobra-en","19":"tag-mural-windows","20":"tag-museu-da-imigracao-en","21":"tag-palestina-en-2","22":"tag-palestina-en","23":"tag-palestine-en","24":"tag-wall-painting-kobra","25":"tag-windows-open-to-the-world"},"wps_subtitle":"The mural \u2018Windows Open to the World\u2019 has 736 square meters and is in front of the museum in the east side of S\u00e3o Paulo city. Among the eight real characters portrayed are Arab immigrants from Libya, Palestine, and Iraq.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2316"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}