Salvador’s major daily newspapers gave ample coverage to the inauguration of the Ribeira of the Arts project, announcing the event beforehand, and sending reporters and photographers to document Sunday’s activities.
The reviews applauded the fact that the initiative offered good music, culture and art, not to the usual privileged class of the educated, but to the common people of the cidade baixa. They also appreciated the scope of the project, continuing every month through the year and expanding to involve the entire district, with the city government committed to upgrading parks and buildings to host artistic and cultural fairs.
Both the Correio da Bahia and A Tarde underlined the novelty of offering authentic art of quality without commercializing it, while providing a healthy confrontation and exchange between Bahian and Italian artists. The articles also seized upon the edifying story of Julio and Bigode, who, thanks to the lessons and encounters at the ICBIE, have achieved an international reputation. They also anticipated the exciting news of yet another European tour for three Salvador grafita artists (including Julio, of course!), scheduled for next month.
Here are a few more photos of Sunday’s excitement, with many thanks to our friend José Paranaguà, who, beyond his remarkable gifts as an artist, also excels as a photographer.
For more photos of the big arts fair, go to the new niche in the ICBIE Photo Gallery.
