Inhotim: At the Crossroads of Glocal Change

Inhotim: At the Crossroads of Glocal Change brings together works by four artists from the Inhotim – Iran do Espírito Santo, Luiz Zerbini, Olafur Eliasson and Vik Muniz –, audiovisual experiences inspired by the botanical garden and a narrative line with texts that deal with history, concepts And practices related to the Institute.In the next course, you'll have access to images of the works on display, the complete videos and texts that run through the walls of the gallery, rearranged here for a better experience on the Google Arts & Culture platform. Enjoy!

Joana (age 40) and Rosa (age 12) are from Brumadinho, the county where Inhotim is located, and visited the park for the first time this year on a free-admission Wednesday. Richard (age 64) and Sarah (age 66) came from London and were especially interested by the gardens. Maria Eduarda (age 24) and Antônio (age 25) study art in Rio de Janeiro and visit Inhotim frequently to see and re-see their favorite works of art. Mariana (age 9) and Luísa (age 10) are students of a regional public school and participate in an educational program. Every day, hundreds of people from nearby cities, from other states, and from other countries – young people, adults, senior citizens, students, workers, families, researchers, and art collectors – all come to Inhotim.





During the exhibition at the IDB Cultural Center, Inhotim visitors in Brazil are being invited to publish photos on Instagram with the hashtag #InhotimDC, sharing their own experiences and perspectives with the public in Washington.

The history of Inhotim began as a dream in the 1980s. The initial gardens were created around a house that remained on an old farm property and drew inspiration from the approach of Brazilian landscaper Burle Marx (1909–1994). At that time, the Mata gallery was constructed, which held works of modern art from the collection of Bernardo Paz, the founder of Inhotim. Some years later, through the influence of Brazilian artist Tunga (1952–2016), the collection changed its focus toward contemporary art. Inhotim, as it exists today, formally began in 2004.

Inhotim invites the public to enjoy an open experience. Paths that curve and branch, the absence of predefined routes, a constant dialogue between nature and architecture, art and landscape. The visitor’s experience is formed by layers of successive movements: inward and outward, motion and rest. Everything is designed to promote a leisurely visit, one in which the rhythm of one’s own body and mind dictate the ideal route for each individual visitor.

Over the last 200 years, humanity has modified our ecosystems more quickly and extensively than at any other time in history. For this reason, actions toward preserving biodiversity, promoting sustainability, and combating climate change are vital. At Inhotim, environmental research and modifications in local practices such as the recovery and cultivation of plants, maintenance of remaining forest, and the creation of reforested areas are all in line with a global sustainability effort.At Inhotim, in the middle of a eucalyptus tree grove and near the entrance to an inactive mine, lies the work De lama lâmina (2009). It is a reflection on a pressing conflict our society faces today: the correlation between progress and destruction. This installation by North American artist Matthew Barney confront us with the beauty and the violence in the complex relationship between human beings and nature.

Urban life has distanced the people from the land. To achieve a new era of harmony between humanity and natural resources, we must recover this connection. Everything we consume comes from nature and is inter-related in a complex chain of transformations. At Inhotim, the educational nursery is particularly designed toward raising awareness about this cycle with the desire that it can be reimagined. Preservation, cultivation, propagation, and the safekeeping of plants are combined with public activities that go beyond contemplation and invite the visitors to engage in a new experience of a possible reality.

At Inhotim, art, architecture, and nature are harmoniously combined to create a small-scale model of sustainable development. In the county of Brumadinho, the creation of Inhotim transformed – and continues to transform – the local landscape and community with new economic opportunities for the tourism industry, better job prospects for local youth, and the enrichment of local biodiversity, while also lending visibility and collaborating with the regional, traditional cultures and communities. Through a cyclic and constant motion, as it transforms its surroundings, Inhotim is likewise transformed by it.