Artists’ web talk session with General director KITAGAWA Fram vol.5 ‘Time difference of 12 hours’

This is the forth session of the series “Artists’ web talk session with General director KITAGAWA Fram”. In this session, we have invited Maria Nepomuceno from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is on the other side of the world from Japan. Over time difference of 12 hours, we have discussed how the artist is spending time and what she is thinking, while the cases in Brazil continue to increase on a large scale day by day (as of 25th June, about 1,000,000 cases have been reported in Brazil).

Participants:
Maria Nepomuceno , General Director KITAGAWA Fram

　

　

Director Fram Kitagawa (hereafter Director):
Thank you very much for joining us today while Brazil is in such a difficult situation. How is everything going?

　

Maria Nepomuceno (hereafter Maria):
Luckily, we are very well, I and my family. My husband is a doctor, so we could do all the kinds of tests. However, as you know, we are having a pandemic in Brazil, and especially in Rio the level of infection is very high, which all of us feel worried about.

Our president and government insist that we do not have to lock down the city, while the scientists say the pandemic will reach its peak in October. I would say the situation is very serious.

We have another house in the countryside. However, it is difficult to stay there for a long time, as the Internet in the house is not good enough to work or have online courses.

　

Director:
What have you been doing recently?

　

Maria:
I am working as usual in the studio at home. It is sometimes challenging since I have to do everything without my assistant, such as cooking, helping children with homework, and production work.

I now preparing some new pieces of works going to Art Basel Online. After the cancellation of the fair at the site, they started to reorganize the system for the salles online.

The work for Ichihara is almost ready. There is just one part missing, that I collaborate with children from very poor region in Rio to make drawings. It has stopped due to this virus outbreak.

　

Director:
Possibly, we can exhibit the drawings from children online, even before the opening of the festival.

　

Maria:
I think that is a great idea. As I already have some of the drawings that they made before the pandemic, it is possible.

　

Director:
We truly hope you will be able to come to Japan for the opening of the festival next year. Even not, we should find a way to show your work somehow.

　

Maria:
Wonderful. I really hope I could come. If it does not happen because of the pandemic or some other reasons, I am sure you will not have any problem in installing. Everything is ready to get shipped, from the work to the crate.

　

　

Director:
Are online courses you mentioned earlier the classes for your children?

　

Maria:
Yes, they have classes online with a lot of homework.

　

　

Maria:
How is everyday life in Japan at this moment? Do you walk in the street without masks? (In Rio de Janeiro, you are not allowed to go out without masks)

　

Director:
The number of the cases is decreasing in Japan, and I would say the situation is kind of calming down and things started to work again. However, many of us still work from home. Over all, I cannot yet tell how it will be like in a long-term perspective.

　

Maria:
Do the government ask people to stay home or people stay home voluntarily?

　

Director:
Actually, the state of emergency was over at the end of May, so we are not requested by the government anymore. However, the companies and organizations keep working from home style. People are very cautious in Japan.

　

Maria:
I see, would be great if in Brazil it could happen too.

　

　

Director:
Lastly, do you have any plan in the near future?

　

Maria:
I’m working on a jewelry project since March with a gallery specialized in jewelry made by artists (www.elisabettacipriani.com) Also, I have just finished 4 new works to Basel online. Now I start production for an online show at A Gentil Carioca gallery and Basel Miami.

　

Director:
Sounds great. Thank you very much again for your time.

　

Artists’ web talk session with General director KITAGAWA Fram
vol.1 ‘Hope artists have in the midst of the coronavirus disease outbreak’
vol.2 ‘Communication between two distant places’
vol.3 ‘Beyond borders’
vol.4 ‘Small changes in the daily life of the artist’