How was your weekend? Ours was great and on Saturday we checked out the Salvador Dalí exhibition at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. I'd never been before and the museum is also across the street from the infamous Candelária Church.
We took the metro to Uruguaiana station and I was taken aback by how sketchy the neighborhood felt. Centro is basically the midtown of Rio, but it's surprisingly rundown and not safe.
Did you ever hear about the Candelária massacre? In the 1990s homeless people and street children would gather outside the church in the evenings and sleep there at night. On July 23, 1993 a group of men including military police opened fire on more than 60 children and killed eight of them at this church. The incident caused an uproar in Brasil, but only two men were convicted.
The church was closed that day, but it's suppose to be beautiful inside. The outside looks bleak and the homeless still come here and sleep. Outside the church there are eight small figures in memory of the children who died during the massacre.
We crossed the square towards the CCBB and there was a massive line wrapped around the building, but it was quick. It was so strange to see the contrast between the glum surroundings of the church and then middle-upper class expats/Cariocas waiting to see a modern art exhibition. It's so representative of class divides in Rio.
Salvador Dalí is one of my favorite artists. I'm always amazed by his attention to detail and the fact that he could translate visions in his mind onto canvas with such accuracy. Crazy. Definitely a man I would have at my dream dinner party.
I thought the exhibition was fantastic because it was a diverse collection of works and stuff I'd never seen before. Here are a few of my favorite pieces.
Hub doing his best bug-eye Dalí impression.
We had a fantastic weekend, but it rained all Sunday so my vegan picnic was a no-go. Hub and I stayed in all day and polished off the rest of those dark chocolate chili brownies. Winners.
