Coal Museum presents exhibition “Down there was another world”

The Coal Museum, an institution linked to Sedac (Secretariat of State for Culture), presents the first exhibition after the restoration works. Curated by Taís Cardoso, the exhibition titled “It was another world down there” will be open to the public on April 13th, from 2pm to 5pm, and will run until July 7th, at Coal Museum (Rua Profa. Silvana Narvaez, 61 – Centro), in Arroio dos Ratosat Carboniferous Region.

The inauguration will be carried out by the Coordination of the Subsolo project: an artistic residency in the archives of the Coal Museum. This is the first exhibition to occupy the Museum since the restoration work on the Plant building. Entry is free and open to the general public.

Curated by researcher Taís Cardoso, the exhibition will present new works by visual artists Isabel Ramil and Marco Antonio Filho, developed during the artistic residency of the Subsolo project. The research carried out in January 2023, in Arroio dos Ratos, aimed to explore documents from the historical archive of the Coal Museum and aspects of the city.

The artistic works in the exhibition result from reflection on coal production and its social and environmental impacts. In addition, there will be a selection of images from the Museum’s collection available to share with the community. Artist Maria Helena Bernardes will also participate in the exhibition, with images and stories from her intervention carried out in 2001 in the city.

Taís Cardoso highlights the importance of the Coal Museum as a starting point for reflection on the region and its history linked to mining. The exhibition aims to interest not only art lovers, but also historians, geologists, biologists and the community in general.

During the opening of the exhibition, there will be a conversation with the artists and the curator to discuss the works on display and share the experiences of the artistic residency. To facilitate transport from Porto Alegre to Arroio dos Ratos, bus tickets will be offered with support from the company Louzada. Interested parties must register in advance.

Visits to the exhibition can be made from April 15th to July 7th, from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm. Schools and universities interested in scheduling visits should contact us via email [email protected]. The Subsolo project has resources from Pró-Cultura RS FAC – Fund for Support to Culture, from the Government of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in partnership with the State Coal Museum and support from the transport company Louzada.