Rio Cruzeiro Art Project

Back in May I posted news of the Rio Cruzeiro Favela Painting Project, which the organisers were hoping to finish "within the next couple of months" (CLICK). They must be getting close, because today I received an e-mail announcing the opening party weekend from 17 to 19 October. The 17th kicks off with video installations and exhibits in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. The following day the +2000 m2 painting of a Japanese-style river running through the Vila Cruzeiro - Rio's worst slum - will be unveiled, drug gangs permitting. Next there will be a huge "block party", press photo opportunities and guided tours. Whether this massive art project helps the poor in the Vila Cruzeiro remains to be seen, but slum kids have been kept occupied assisting artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn to paint Rob Admiraal's ambitious design.