The Ateliê397 is a place dedicated to circulation, production and exhibition of contemporary art in Brazil. Located in Vila Madalena – a neighborhood well known for its intense cultural life in São Paulo – the Ateliê397 opened doors in 2003 and has gone through some changes to its organizational form since then. Currently, its main activities are editing and publishing books on artists, holding art exhibitions and interdisciplinary events, including video art sessions, performance shows, happenings, and concerts.
The Ateliê397ʼs actions are not solely based on market interests – it has a more dynamic and daring approach than that of major museum institutions. Its overriding purpose is to create an experimental agenda in line with the production of artists, critics and curators with innovative proposals.
It is coordinated by a team of curators, producers and artists, Carolina Soares, Mariana Trevas, Marcelo Amorim and Thais Rivitti and plays an important role in encouraging discussions, creating opportunities for exhibition and reflection on the current art production.
So far, the Ateliê397 has already held 40 exhibitions, 8 video art shows and published 4 books, among numerous other occasional events, which occur on a regular basis and attract an audience mostly made up of professionals from the cultural area and university students.
Recent projects
-Circulação da arte brasileira (annual). Group exhibitions with artists from other Brazilian regions, which are intended to present in São Paulo works that are out of the mainstream. REC> <GRU ida e volta (2010) featured works by 16 artists from Recife, Pernambuco. a 4 graus do equador (2011) brought to the Ateliê397 works by 15 artists from Fortaleza, Ceará.
-Edições 397, a series of books edited and published by the Ateliê397. An editorial line addressing important contemporary art issues, including the book Espaços Independentes (2010), which shows, documents and investigates the cultural production of 5 alternative venues in Brazil. The other editorial line is dedicated to artistsʼ books such as Nino Cais: Poemas e Canções (2011) and Leticia Ramos: caderno de bitácora (2011).
-Surpraise (happening). Works by partner artists were displayed in the
exhibition hall with no identification of the authors. All of them were for sale at a price of US$40.00 (R$100.00). Through a random drawing, the audience would choose what to buy without knowing the credits of the works, only revealed after the purchase.