This series investigates the facades of São Paulo art galleries, looking at possible relationships between the exterior architecture of the galleries and the way this culture/city relates to art itself, the public and the market, in a symbolic perspective that can be read on the facades of the galleries.

While preparing for the German stage of the project, I took an interest in shooting the art galleries of São Paulo, for three reasons. First, it is the largest art market in my native country, so I thought it would bring “local color” and an even more personal dimension to the project. Second, this market was going through an excellent period of growth, and attracting the interest of the Brazilian audience in relation to collecting and appreciating art, as a consequence of the country’s favorable economic situation in 2011. Third, I expected the facades of the galleries in São Paulo to present –as in fact turned out to be the case– interesting features that are related to the complex matrix of the Brazilian culture, as well as to the still early stages of development of a local art market and to the clearly visible influences of foreign ideological models in the construction of an “external image” for some of the galleries, which can also be associated with the import of management models for the art business.