The street stirs with emotion

THE STREET STIRS WITH EMOTION

The street is not merely a place of passage. In religious processions, demonstrations, and unexpected encounters, public space brings together bodies, affections, and collective memories. The Fiat Idea displayed here became an emblem of this shared experience during Pope Francis’s visit to Brazil for World Youth Day in 2013.

The pontiff’s choice of car reflected his principles of simplicity and closeness to the people. Touched by thousands of hands, the vehicle came to bear the marks of a shared devotion.

In the works brought together in this section, the energy of crowds takes different forms. In Claudio Tozzi’s painting, the crowd appears both as an anonymous mass and as a political force, capable of taking to the streets to demand change or to celebrate. José Antônio da Silva, Iaponi Araújo, José Luiz Soares, and Babalu portray popular celebrations and religious devotion. In Silva’s work, the bonfire assumes a monumental scale, transforming the scene into an image of communion, warmth, and belonging.

The rearview mirror installation, created especially for this exhibition, expands this reading by showing how the automobile can also become a space of belief. Religious symbols, holy cards, ribbons, and amulets reveal forms of protection that travel with drivers and passengers on their journeys. Between faith, encounter, and memory, the street emerges as a territory of shared emotion, where different ways of believing and living together become visible.

CAR

Fiat Idea used by Pope Francis during his visit to Brazil in 2013. Its side was dented as crowds approached the vehicle while it made its way through Rio de Janeiro.
2012
Stellantis Collection

ARTWORKS

Multidão (Crowd)
Claudio Tozzi, 1968
Acrylic on canvas
Lili and João Avelar Collection

Festa de São João (Saint John’s Festival)
José Antônio da Silva, 1960
Oil on canvas
Paulo Kuczynski Collection

Festa de São João (Saint John’s Festival)
Iaponi Araújo, 1960
Oil on canvas
Marcio Gobbi Collection

12 de Outubro (October 12)
José Luiz Soares, 1986
Oil on canvas
Francisco Gracindo Collection

Procissão do Senhor Morto (Procession of the Dead Lord)
José Luiz Soares, 1981
Oil on Eucatex board
Francisco Gracindo Collection

Festa de Yemanjá (Yemanjá’s Festival)
Babalu, 1960
Oil on canvas
Marcio Gobbi Collection

Mão do papa (The Pope’s Hand)
Flávio Império, 1979
Screenprint on paper
Private Collection

Praça do Papa — Governador Israel Pinheiro, Belo Horizonte, marco da visita do Papa João Paulo II à cidade
(Pope’s Square — Governor Israel Pinheiro, Belo Horizonte, landmark of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the city)
2015
Photographic enlargement
Credit: Leandro Couri

Papa João Paulo II durante sua visita a Belo Horizonte
(Pope John Paul II during his visit to Belo Horizonte)
1980
Photographic enlargement
Credit: O Estado de S. Paulo

Fiat Idea utilizado durante a visita do Papa Francisco ao Brasil
(Fiat Idea used during Pope Francis’s visit to Brazil)
2013
Photographic enlargement
Credit: Agência O Globo / Marcelo Carnaval