Paulo Mendes da Rocha Occupation brings messages from unbuilt works

At the height of his 89 years of existence, Paulo Mendes da Rocha is legendary in São Paulo and perhaps in the world. His name is below works such as the Pinacoteca, Casa do Arquiteto, the (controversial) MuBe, the Fiesp Cultural Center and, more recently, at Sesc 24 de Maio. This does not mean, however, that the exhibition Ocupação Paulo Mendes da Rocha is a mere ode in “showcase” format to a master who could easily sit on a throne of constructed buildings. Between the 12th From September to November 4, Itaú Cultural brings together a collection of unique works by PMR curated by FAU-USP professor Guilherme Wisnik.

In an interview with CASACOR , Wisnik explains the powerful message that the Occupation brings with it: a universe of urban possibilities conceived by an architect, whose objectives go far beyond sculptural lines and forms. The 11 works in question are sketches, models, texts, that is, works that never found (for various reasons) the space to be physically realized. What unites them is the connection with water, something present from a very early age in the life of Paulo Mendes, son of a port and waterways engineer born in the Holy Spirit.

(Arquivo Paulo Mendes da Rocha)

A swimming pool in Praça da República, a feat achieved in a certain way in the Sesc 24 de Maio swimming pool, an aquarium without walls in Santos and even the ambitious city of Tietê, something similar to Brasília, but with the aim of transforming the area into a large point of flow of river and road transport makes up the selection of projects excavated from Paulo Mendes' vast collections.

On the opening day, September 12, there will be a screening of the documentary Tudo É Projeto, directed by Patricia Rubano and Joana Mendes da Rocha, followed by a debate with Wisnik.

Occupation Service Paulo Mendes da Rocha When? September 13th to Sunday November 4th