Created in 1953, The Conquest of Space faces fungi, cracking and other damage worsened by the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul
Submitted at Oct 2, 2026, 2:00 PM
Karen Berta Arquitetura e Mari Fogliato Studio de Arquitetura - Il Mago Dei Colori. Projeto da CASACOR Rio Grande do Sul 2026. (Cristiano Bauce/CASACOR)
The Il Mago Dei Colori living room, designed by Karen Berta and Mari Foglia for CASACOR Rio Grande do Sul 2026, draws attention for its vibrant colors, sensorial materials and double-height ceiling — but also for the presence of a structure not often found in the show's projects. An imposing metallic scaffold stretches from one side to the other across the main wall of the space.
(Divulgação/CASACOR)
The structure is not an artistic installation, nor a leftover from the setup. It was already on site even before CASACOR arrived and was incorporated into the project for a reason that goes beyond the duration of the show: to support the conservation work on A Conquista do Espaço (The Conquest of Space), a panel by Italian artist Aldo Locatelli whose condition deteriorated after the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul in 2024.
A Conquista do Espaço (CASACOR)
Commissioned in 1950 and inaugurated in 1953, the work was conceived for Salgado Filho Airport, in Porto Alegre. Measuring about 50 sqm, the painting depicts the history of aviation and the human desire to conquer the skies, bringing together references ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Santos Dumont. More than seven decades later, preserving this narrative has become an urgent challenge.
Today, A Conquista do Espaço is under the care of a team made up of architect Verônica Di Benedetti, responsible for designing and coordinating the project; restorer Lenora Rosenfield, 74 years old and called by her colleagues "the Papess of Restoration"; and German biologist Markus Wilimzig, in charge of identifying samples of fungi and bacteria present on the panel.
The conservation diagnosis began a little over two years ago, Verônica told CASACOR, commissioned by Fraport (the company responsible for managing Salgado Filho Airport). The panel occupies one of the airport's deactivated terminals, exactly where CASACOR Rio Grande do Sul 2026 takes place.
Caroline Kreling Arquitetura - Lounge A Conquista do Espaço. Projeto da CASACOR Rio Grande do Sul 2025. (Claudio Fonseca/CASACOR)
"We have a saying in architecture, especially in historic architecture: a closed house is a doomed house! When you close up a building, you can already start the countdown. It's impressive how quickly they deteriorate — and with the panel it was no different!", Verônica recalls.
The first studies helped to understand the structure, the materials and the pathologies developed over time. The painting was executed on a double brick wall, coated with a mortar about five centimeters thick, with the application of tempera and oil. "Very Italian characteristics indeed", she adds.
Until then, the scenario was relatively positive: maintenance was needed, but no fungi or significant paint losses had been identified. The situation, however, changed after the floods of May 2024, when Salgado Filho Airport remained severely flooded for about 28 days.
Lenora Rosenfield, restauradora (Verônica di Benedetti/CASACOR)
Installed almost four meters off the ground, Locatelli's panel did not come into direct contact with the water. Even so, the microclimate of high humidity favored the appearance of mold, fungi and cracking in the paint — problems that, according to the team, had not occurred over the previous seven decades. Without the necessary care, there is now a risk of the pictorial film detaching, the layer in which the pigments are deposited.
Markus Willinzig, biólogo (Verônica di Benedetti/CASACOR)
"We are at this moment of understanding the situation following the initial tests we had done, because the situation has changed. We need to identify the types of background to choose the correct biocide, disinfect, and carry out sanitization. We also carried out consolidation tests to glue the pictorial film back on," Verônica explains.
The work carried out on A Conquista do Espaço during CASACOR Rio Grande do Sul 2026 is part of an emergency conservation process, not a restoration. The former seeks to stabilize and preserve the work in light of the problems identified; while the latter involves a broader intervention, based on specific analyses of the existing pathologies.
Karen Berta Arquitetura e Mari Fogliato Studio de Arquitetura - Il Mago Dei Colori. Projeto da CASACOR Rio Grande do Sul 2026. (Cristiano Bauce/CASACOR)
"We should be working on a restoration project right now because its condition is alarming. But at the time we planned it, only conservation would be necessary, that is, small issues that we needed to eliminate so that it would not need to be restored," she clarifies.
One of the main challenges currently faced by the team is fundraising to continue the project. According to Verônica, Pronac (National Program for the Support of Culture) approved a proposal that allows companies to allocate the equivalent of 4% of their Income Tax to the conservation of the panel.
The amount initially estimated for the work is R$ 700 thousand, of which R$ 200 thousand has already been contributed by Fraport. With the project's presence at CASACOR, the team's expectation is to broaden the work's visibility and enable the collection of the remaining R$ 500 thousand.
"The presence at the show is an opportunity for more people to get to know the panel – this is what we call heritage education. You only take care of what you feel belongs to you. You only feel that something belongs to you when you know it. That is the keynote of conservation," concludes the architect.
