In dialogue with the new temporary exhibition “Atlantic Forest: In-finite Enchantments,” the Botanical Garden Museum inaugurates the artistic installation “Botanical Utopia.” Developed exclusively by Fernanda Froes, the project poetically recreates a fragmented forest of brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata). A symbol of the Atlantic Forest, this species was brought to the brink of extinction during the colonial period due to the intense exploitation of its red pigment and remains threatened today.
Inspired by the ideas of utopia and paradise found in Utopia (1516) by Thomas More and Vision of Paradise (1959) by Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, the installation revisits the image of an idealized and lost territory through double panels made of hand-dyed cotton canvas pieces, stitched with threads also dyed using brazilwood. All materials are collected sustainably, sourced from tree prunings.
“I recovered ancient techniques and recipes to play with pigments and to present a forest that is diverse not only in colors, but also in forms. Each piece has its own shape, as well as different components and tones that evoke not only brazilwood, but the immense diversity of plants found in the Atlantic Forest,” explains the visual artist.
The exhibition has free admission and features texts written in accessible language for diverse audiences. In addition, the museum’s spaces are accessible to visitors with special needs.