For more than thirty years, ICBIE president Pietro Gallina has waged a constant battle on the behalf of alternative artists, musicians and actors, helping them to gain public exposure without selling their souls to the corporate control of official culture. His aversion for the opulent consumerism of the global cultural industry (which is also powerfully present in the city of Salvador) has led him to initiate an ambitious project, Ribeira of the Arts, where authentic artists can show their works and play their music to the local community, using the ICBIE as a prestigious and dignified venue.
To give the project as much clout as possible, Pietro has cobbled together an impressive list of collaborations and sponsorships: the City of Salvador, the Federal University of Bahia (with the participation of Prof. Mauro Porru), the Italian Institute of Culture of Rio de Janeiro (with the Director, Rubens Piovano) and the Italian Consulate in Salvador (with Consul Giovanni Pisanu). The renowned film historian Paolo Spedicato will also be present.
Planned as an annual event, the Ribeira of the Arts Project will begin with a bang next Sunday afternoon, February 24th at 4 PM. A concert by Reis and Aldo Brizzi will begin at 4:30, followed by concert and an extended jam session led by Jota Velloso (Caetano’s talented nephew), with the participation of Alex Mesquita and Stella Maris.
At the same time, the ICBIE will host its largest art exhibit, with works by Menelaw Sete, Leonel Mattos and Josè Paranaguá, without forgetting the ICBIE’s own Julio Costa and Bigod Silva, as well as a host of other street artists from the city’s Projeto Salvador Grafita.
After next Sunday’s kickoff, Ribeira of the Arts will continue on the last Sunday of each month, with an open air arts fair from 8 AM to 2 PM, where artworks, painting, sculpture, books, LPs, CDs, videos, DVDs, and local gastronomic delights will be sold, and community workshops for drawing, music and dance will be held. From 4 PM to 11 PM the fair will continue, with concerts, art exhibits, theatrical performances, dance and film projections, involving the entire local community. The area around the ICBIE will be a pedestrian zone, and all automobiles will be banned.
In both size and scope, Ribeira of the Arts provides the Cidade baixa with an unprecedented opportunity to share and exchange its culture. For the first time, in this appalling cultural desert, a full range of artistic expression will be offered to the entire population
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