CASACOR Bahia 2026 transforms the corridors of the former convent into an art gallery traduzido por: OPENROUTER

An art gallery doesn't always need rooms to exist. In the 32nd edition of CASACOR Bahia, on display from July 7 to September 6 at Casa Nossa Senhora das Mercês, 190 works occupy precisely what would normally be just a passageway: the circulation corridors of the former convent. The curatorship, signed by Ernesto Bitencourt and Wesley Lemos within the Panorama of Modern and Contemporary Bahian Art program, stems from an uncommon choice — transforming a transit area into a place of permanence, with paintings on the walls and sculptures marking the central axes.

A journey guided by art

Wesley Lemos - Galeria de Arte Ernesto Bitencourt | Aurelino dos Santos. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)

The circuit opens with the posthumous exhibition of Aurelino dos Santos, bringing together 30 unreleased canvases on the second floor — a theme that stands as a symbol of the tone the curatorship imprints on this edition: using the eighteenth-century architecture of the manor as a living frame for the art.

From there, the route descends to the first floor, divided into two wings. One brings together sculptures by Jayme Fygura alongside paintings by Deisi Rocha, Nilson Bastos, Hélio Bastos, Calasans Neto, Sante Scaldaferri, Leonel Mattos, Vauluizo Bezerra, and Mirabeau Sampaio. The other, called Other Perspectives, coexists with six historic sconces original to the convent — the exhibition design decided to preserve this heritage lighting by positioning the smaller-format works there, among pieces by Almira Reuter, Mario Cravo, Ranchinho, Nage Maron, and Elvio Rocha, with the chair by Ramiro Bernabó taking on a sculptural character along the central axis.

Wesley Lemos - Galeria de Arte Ernesto Bitencourt | Aurelino dos Santos. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)

The circuit ends on the ground floor, with 100 works spread across 13 walls, where sculptures by Mario Cravo close the passage alongside works by Almandrade, Carybé, Cesar Romero, Washington Sales, Antônio Maia, Jenner Augusto, Emanoel Araújo, and Yêdamaria, among other names from the Bahian scene. The entire setup dialogues with the masterplan of this edition, signed by architect David Bastos, who adopted a perimeter route to guide the public around the building without crossings or crowds.

"This edition translates our desire to make CASACOR Bahia a cultural meeting point for Salvador. The gallery we opened on the second floor drives this proposal, and the accompanying programming brings culture to the city over two months," says Magali Santana, director of CASACOR Bahia.

When each architect is also a curator

Marlon Gama Arquitetura - Marlon Gama = Vik Muniz +55DESIGN. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)

The institutional curatorship, however, is only half the story. Each professional in this edition assembled their own art selection for the project they sign — and it is this authorial layer, multiplied by dozens of architects, that sustains the reading of the exhibition as a cultural hub, and not just as a decoration showcase.

Dayse Pellegrini e Michele Wharton - Lounge Entre Camadas. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Bia Nauiack/CASACOR)

In the Espaço de Convivência, designed by Marlon Gama and +55 Design, three works by Vik Muniz include Fetiche de Pregos, inspired by the nkisi nkondi of Bakongo culture. The Adega Latência, by Tays Mota and Sílvia Lectícia, brings together a lithograph by Antoni Tàpies alongside three pieces specially commissioned for the project. The Lounge Entre Camadas, by Michele Wharton and Dayse Pellegrini, hosted the exhibition Espelho dos Orixás, from the Casa Reina gallery, featuring 22 artists.

Lab IV EBA/UFBA - Coord.: Bruna Dória - Sala de Imprensa Quitanda. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)

In the Loft A Rotina do Agora, artist Lucas Neder signs As Curas da Bahia, an exclusive show whose opening work pays tribute to Santa Dulce dos Pobres, built with sand from Ondina, earth from Chapada Diamantina, cocoa and gold leaves. The press room, developed by students of LAB IV at the School of Fine Arts of UFBA under the coordination of professor Bruna Dória, revisits the 1950s — the period when Lina Bo Bardi lived in Bahia alongside Carybé and Pierre Verger —, bringing together tapestries by Genaro de Carvalho and newspaper clippings from that time.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER