Chinese sculptures grace São Paulo Botanical Garden

Wolves, pandas, dragons, flowers and replicas of monuments and tourist attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, the Colosseum, the Arc de Triomphe, London's red telephone booths, the Eiffel Tower and the Egyptian Pyramids. All of these Chinese sculptures - made of colored silk and handcrafted by 150 artists - are on display at São Paulo Botanical Garden.

A mix of art, culture and technology, the exhibit invites visitors to walk along a kind of trail that passes through a garden of giant, illuminated sculptures arranged in around 40 different settings.

Called Lektrik Art, the exhibit - which has already been shown in cities such as Miami, Los Angeles and New York, in the United States, but in a different format - tells several stories about the world.

"This exhibit is unique. Each location has a different exhibit. In fact, it is the first of its kind in Latin America,” explains Rafael Silveira, operations director of the Reserva Paulista complex, in an interview with Agência Brasil.

“The sculptures are made using an ancient, artisanal method of working with fabric. And they travel around the world, bringing a bit of allegory from every corner of the planet,” says Silveira.

Lear’s Macaw

Among the sculptures, for example, are some that represent conservation projects at the São Paulo Zoo, such as the Lear’s Macaw.

Self-employed Érica Maria da Silva, 33, visited the exhibition on the evening of last Wednesday (15) with her husband and son. “I walked the entire route twice,” she said.

“I thought the exhibition was really cool and beautiful, I just thought it needed some signage with some signs indicating what each sculpture is or which country represents. But I thought it was beautiful and creative and it’s worth going with the whole family,” she assured. Davi, Érica's eight-year-old son, said he particularly liked a sculpture of a bird.

Veterinarian Carolina Raimondi, 45, took her two children to see the exhibit. "I thought this work with silk was very interesting. It's very detailed and colorful," she said.

Her children Cora, eight, and Benício, ten, particularly liked the sculptures of flamingos and the shows that took place in the food court, next to the exhibit. They also particularly enjoyed a giant sculpture of a dragon "that moved its head."

Fauna and flora

According to the organizers of the Botanical Garden, the exhibit occupies only 5% of the park and was set up after studies of fauna and flora so as not to harm the preservation of the species.

"It made perfect sense for us to bring this event to the Botanical Garden to highlight our fauna and flora with elements from Brazil and the world. This not only contributes to environmental conservation, but also to the promotion of culture,” said Silveira.

The exhibition can be visited from Wednesday to Sunday, with sessions starting at 5 pm. Tickets are available through the Fever app, at the box office and on the Botanical Garden website, with prices starting at R$39 (half price). More information can be found on this website.
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