Previously on view in the Amsterdam Biennale: Pedro Meyer

Rio de Janeiro Pavilion

Transvestite Bathroom (girl from Rio)

Curator Pedro Meyer presents the Rio de Janeiro pavilion at the Amsterdam Biennale 2009 at Mediamatic. His pavilion opened on the 12th of December during the Standing Room Only Party. On view until 3 January 2010.

Vergroot

Portrait of Pedro Meyer - The Rio de Janeiro Pavilion, curator: Pedro Meyer. Dec 12 - Jan 3 2009/10, in the Amsterdam Biennale at Mediamatic. Raphael Rehbach

With:

The work is a painting-installation. The public toilet will receive pictorial and photographic elements that will make it more individual, like a home with private atmosphere. The character Miss Rio (a transvestite) is figured in one of the areas of architectural space, seeking an environmental presence.

From the work, there arises a new concern about the politics of the image. The painting and the feminine image as merchandise and masculine fetishism are shifted, and in a strange and curious way satirical scenes and ambiguity emerge. There is an inner confusion of genders, our condition is androgynous and there is no fixed pole.

Talking about Brazilian eroticism one is risking falling into the pastiche of cliches. Brazilian sensuality might be a stereotype. On the other hand, Carnival and Tropicalism establish a process of productive orgies, where social groups identify with one another; they move around with the intensity in the common celebration. Copacabana and Ipanema are trendy districts in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where slums and luxury condos live side by side, staring semi-naked at each other.