The largest sculpture park in Latin America is in SC and hides precious things; PHOTOS

The land on the banks of one of Brusque’s busiest highways draws people’s attention due to the number of works carved in stone. But in the frenetic routine of everyday life, few people realize the treasures housed in the Ilse Teske Sculpture Park.

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There are creations by artists from all over the world, such as world-renowned Tomie Ohtake, from Japan, Pascale Archambault, from Canada, and Brazilians Amilcar de Castro and Oscar Niemeyer. It is a collection of value never calculated. However, due to the importance of the sculptors, it has million-dollar dimensions.

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The 23 thousand square meter plot of land landscaped by a green lawn is an invitation to discover the 41 works produced especially for the city. Everything was done during the Brusque International Sculpture Symposia, organized by the city hall between 2001 and 2007.

Over the course of seven years, around 100 sculptures were produced. Most are spread across the city. A curator selected the levadas for the park, currently considered the largest of its kind in Latin America. The space was opened in April 2014exactly a decade ago.

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“Samurai”, by Baku Inoue – Country: Japan (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Halia”, by Francisco Brennand – Country: Brazil (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Guardian of the Night”, by Aquiles Jiménez – Country: Costa Rica (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled sculpture by Tomie Ohtake, Japanese artist honored at the VI Brusque International Sculpture Symposium (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“What is hidden?”, by Pascale Archambault – Country: Canada (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Friendship”, by Genia Gendelman – Country: Israel (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Fille de La Pluie” (the daughter of the rain), by Juarez Machado, Brazilian artist honored at the IV International Symposium of Sculptures of Brazil (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled sculpture by Carlos Fernando Pereira Filipe Andrade, artist from Portugal (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“The Bellows”, by Javier Abdala Estable – Country: Uruguay (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“The Wave”, by Valeriu Ciumacu – Country: Germany (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled sculpture by Victor Kopach, artist from Belarus (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Reflexão”, by David Rodrigues – Country: Brazil (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Between”, by Hu Tung-Min – Country: Taiwan (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Renascimento”, by Evrim Kilic (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“The Man”, by Filin Gheorghi – Country: Bulgaria (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Torre Samba”, by Jo Kley – Country: Germany (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Pera Preciosa”, by Roger McFarlane – Country: Australia (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Menhir V”, by Francesco Mazzotta – Country: Italy (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Natural Force”, by Roman Manevitch – Country: Germany (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Sculpture by Beatriz Ferrer Carbonell, from Spain (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled work by Gio Pomodoro, artist from Italy honored at the II Brusque International Sculpture Symposium (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Memory for the Missing”, by Laura Marcos – Country: Argentina (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Sailing to the South”, work by Kemal Tufan – Country: Turkey (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Adam and Eve”, by Nicolae Fleissig – Country: France (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled sculpture by Pita Camargo – Country: Brazil (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Fountain of Life I”, by Marino Di Prospero – Country: Italy (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Water in the Mountains and in the Sun”, by Ercan Yilmaz – Country: Turkey (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled work by Brazilian Xico Stockinger, artist honored at the III International Brazilian Sculpture Symposium (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled work by Elias Naman, artist from Syria (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“The Music of the Wind”, by Sestilio Burattini – Country: Italy (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled work by Bruno Cappelletti, from Italy (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Untitled work by Pascale Archambault, from Canada (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Fusion of Beings, of Souls”, by Christophe Poencet – Country: France (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Heavens Eye”, by Ian Newbery – Country: Sweden (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Sculpture by Brazilian Amilcar de Castro, artist honored at the 1st International Symposium on Sculpture in Brazil (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Mushroom”, by Baku Inoue – Country: Japan (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

Work by Max Eduardo Leiva Buhler – Country: Guatemala (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Three phases”, by Tanya Preminger – Country: Israel (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Power of life”, by Hannes Starkopf – Country: Estonia (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

“Torture Never Again”, by Oscar Niemeyer – Country: Brazil (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC Total)

To go backAdvance

Vania Gevaerd was an art history teacher in the public school system when the symposiums took place and made a point of taking all the classes to watch the production of the sculptures. In the scorching heat of November, the time of year when the event took place, she and the children walked to the municipal kart track.

A passionate artist, she followed the “birth” and challenges imposed on artists. Each participant presented a design project for the work. When selected, he had 30 days to cut a 30-ton piece of marble in the height of summer.

The 2008 tragedy put an end to the events and for a long time the works were at the mercy of luck. Some were even damaged during floods and needed to be revitalized.

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Vania is no longer in the classroom, however her strong relationship with the park remains. She gives guided tours at the site to explain to the public the stories of each work and is an advocate of education, so that the residents of Brusque recognize the value of what they have in their backyard.

— It’s a very rich museum. We say “ah, let’s go to the Louvre”. But we have it here. We have our Mona Lisa, which in this case is Oscar Niemeyer. We have representatives from all over the world. If you look at these artists’ CVs, everything they’ve done… This needs to be recognized — he points out.

Professor Vania Gevaerd (Photo: Patrick Rodrigues, NSC)

Each work has a feeling

An Argentine based in Brazil, Alfi Viverm led the Brusque symposiums. He personally invited many of the artists who helped build the city’s collection of marble sculptures today. A lover of the arts, something imaginable through his experience as a sculptor, he mentions that each work conveys a feeling, tells a piece of a story. Therefore, it needs to be understood.

It is in this aspect, in fact, that the artist makes a suggestion to the park administration: it is necessary to advance the level of information on each work available to the public, so that it is possible to understand them.

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There, on the banks of Rodovia Antônio Heil, there are plays dealing with themes that are still latent in society, such as dictatorships and wars. These are the cases, for example, of the works by Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, called Tortura Nunca Mais, and by Japanese Baku Inove, from Japan, talking about the bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, leaving a trail of death.

Check out a video that shows the works in detail

Schedule

The 10th anniversary of the Ilse Teske Sculpture Park will be marked by a series of events. On the 24th, at 7:30 pm, a ceremony will take place with a performance by the Unifebe Choir and the screening of the mini-documentary “Sculpting Memories: A Decade of Art in the Sculpture Park”.

On Thursday (25), the program includes the lecture “Parque 10+: The Future of the Brusque Sculpture Park”. It will be from 6:30 pm to 10 pm, in the Unifebe Block F Auditorium. Speakers Alfi Vivern and Ike Gevaerd will discuss the next steps and challenges for the park. It’s needed sign up here.

During the following days, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in mediated visits to the Parque das Esculturas collection, with times available for students from public or private schools. Registration can be made by calling (47) 98913-9944.

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