In a village near Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state in Brazil is the Inhotim Centre for Contemporary Arts. A fascinating project funded by businessman Bernardo Paz, rather than housing the exhibits under one roof, various pavilions and structures are located throughout the lush green parkland of 35 hectares, surrounded by a verdant native forest.
The most recent of these pavilions is one dedicated to Adriana Varejao, one of the leading contemporary artists in Brazil. A permanent exhibition of the artist’s work will be on display, in addition to a selection of works by other artists of note. Adriana Varejao’s works allude to the concept of expansion and a retrospective look into the past in order to understand the present.
The pavilion designed by Tacoa Arquitetos incorporates the concept of contraction and expansion within the structure. Located on an excavated sloping site which had once held a storage container, the land was once again occupied, not by earth but by the pavilion and extended into a concrete block. The connecting levels of the space via a spiral walkway and a series of ponds, stairs and ramps allow the works of the artists to become a part of the structure itself, a natural incorporation of architectural forms with sculptural installations and works of art in the nature of solids and voids throughout the entire exhibition space.
