On view through January 18, 2026, “Nossos Brasis” brings 79 works by 50 artists to CAIXA Cultural Brasília, linking modernism and contemporary urban art.
An unprecedented collection encounter
CAIXA Cultural Brasília presents “Nossos Brasis: entre o sonho e a realidade”. For the first time, the exhibition offers a broad look at 100 years of Brazilian art, spanning 1920 to 2020. It features 79 works by 50 artists from private collections and institutions in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasília.
The route includes paintings, sculptures, tapestries, photographs, installations, and objects. Visitors are invited to see Brazil as a land of contrasts and invention. The set creates a rare visual narrative, with works brought together in the same show for the first time.
From the studio to the street
The show’s uniqueness lies in both the meeting of collections and the new links it proposes across periods. It places canonical and contemporary production side by side, crossing times, styles, and territories. Works come from institutions such as the Institute of Brazilian Studies/USP, Museu Afro Brasil Emanoel Araújo, Museu Bispo do Rosário, Projeto Lygia Pape, and Projeto Hélio Oiticica, alongside major private holdings.
More than a timeline, the exhibition connects the modernist drive of the 1920s with the expressive power of today’s urban art. Works by Di Cavalcanti, Djanira, and Portinari enter direct dialogue with Eduardo Kobra’s monumental, colorful language. The result highlights how street art updates, questions, and expands the legacy of modernity.
Three interconnected sections
Curated by Denise Mattar and organized from the artistic conception of Rafael Dragaud, the exhibition unfolds in three thematic sections. Rather than relying on a chronological reading, these sections interweave as a dynamic mosaic. Visitors move through different “voices” that shape Brazil’s visual identity.
Vozes dos Trópicos focuses on the imagery of an exuberant Brazil, marked by tensions between nature and colonization, beauty and violence, myth and critique. Artists include Tarsila do Amaral, Burle Marx, Beatriz Milhazes, Lygia Pape, Hélio Oiticica, Glauco Rodrigues, Denilson Baniwa, Ernesto Neto, Adriana Varejão, and Rosana Paulino, among others.
Vozes da Rua presents popular Brazil through collective creativity inspired by streets, festivals, rituals, and everyday gestures. Featured names include Di Cavalcanti, Heitor dos Prazeres, Djanira, Volpi, Portinari, Beatriz Milhazes, and Eduardo Kobra, among others.
Vozes do Silêncio explores memory, spirituality, and pain, turning intimate and psychological questions into artistic force. Works by Maria Auxiliadora, Arthur Bispo do Rosário, Ismael Nery, Maria Lídia Magliani, Farnese de Andrade, Flávio Cerqueira, Vik Muniz, and Nelson Leirner, among others, address the body, faith, mourning, and exclusion.
Accessibility and education
By linking eras and languages, the exhibition builds a sensory experience, turning the gallery space into narrative. Accessibility features include audio description, Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpretation, tactile materials, and guided visits. The project also offers professional training workshops in communities, reinforcing its educational and inclusive approach.
“Nossos Brasis: entre o sonho e a realidade” is produced by CAIXA Cultural Brasília in partnership with Agência Pira, sponsored by CAIXA and the Government of Brazil.
Service
Exhibition: Nossos Brasis: entre o sonho e a realidade
Venue: CAIXA Cultural Brasília – SBS Q. 4 Lotes 3/4 – Asa Sul, Brasília – DF, 70092-900
Galleries: Galeria Principal, Galeria Piccola I and Galeria Piccola II
Dates: October 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm (closed Mondays)
Admission: Free | Age rating: All ages
Accessibility: Audio description, Libras, tactile materials, guided visits
Sponsorship: CAIXA and the Government of Brazil
Photo: Cristiano Yung / Animars
