• Associated activities

Nhemboaty – Meeting of Worlds

Rafael Vilela & Guarani Yvyrupá Commission

  • September 21 | Sunday | 12pm to 6pm
  • Associated spaces
PD_01_004 - Rafael Vilela
The Guarani indigenous land at Jaraguá in São Paulo is surrounded by rapid urban expansion and faces relentless pressure from real estate speculation. The eight villages situated around the Jaraguá peak are actively fighting to protect one of the last remnants of Atlantic Forest within the urban landscape, while being cut off by huge highways such as the Rodovia dos Bandeirantes (Bandeirante was the name given to the Portuguese settlers in the city during the XVI century).
encontro_rearc_02 (1)

The Guarani Mbyá community preserves its spirituality and language on Brazil's smallest indigenous land, surrounded by the megalopolis of São Paulo. In 1500, during the Portuguese invasion, the Guarani inhabited vast territories from the Brazilian coast to Paraguay. Their prosperous villages thrived on agriculture and livestock. Over the centuries, they were displaced, enslaved, and catechized, contributing to São Paulo's rise as a commercial center. Today, this community represents a microcosm of the global climate crisis. Amid 22 million people, they protect one of the last remaining tropical forests in the region, including the 400-hectare Jaraguá Peak. Despite being restricted to just 1.8 hectares of recognized territory, they maintain ancestral agricultural practices and protect biodiversity, resisting environmental degradation. By comparison, indigenous lands in Brazil lost only 1% of native vegetation in 30 years, compared to 20.6% on private lands. 

At the heart of their spiritual practice is the Petynguá pipe, made from the endangered araucaria tree, connecting past, present, and future. This sacred smoke, rising from the intersection of forest and urban sprawl, symbolizes their unbroken ancestry and a call to rethink the environmental impact of urban life. 

Nhemboaty is the result of five years of meetings between photographer Rafael Vilela and the residents of the Jaraguá Indigenous Territory. The exhibition takes place within the Pindomirim Village, an immersive experience in Nhanderekó, the Guarani way of life. For an afternoon, visitors will be able to sample the traditional food of this people, walk through the territory, listen to their words and songs, and visit sacred and exhibition spaces. The event, held in partnership with the São Paulo Architecture Biennial and the Autonomous Agency, will also feature a short film screening from the Imagining the Forest project, with films by Nadeem Alkarimi, Qadir Jhatial, and Sadqain Riaz (Karachi Biennial, Pakistan), and Eelyn Lee (Richmond Arts & Ideas Festival, UK). 

This research received significant support and funding from Catchlight, the National Geographic Society, and the British Council.

As it is sacred territory, entry to the village experience will be limited to 40 people. 
This activity is closed to invited participants.

Visit the 14th BIAsp! Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Participate in the program of debates, workshops and associated activities!

TODAY (10.10)

2:30 pm – table Risk-Free Periphery in the Context of Climate Change

4pm – table Knowing to Transform: Community Climate Risk Reduction and Adaptation Plans

6:30 pm – table Inclusive Adaptation: Nature-Based Solutions in the Peripheries

9am – Drawing Workshop: Oscar Niemeyer's Architecture in Ibirapuera Park and the Climate Challenge

IN THE NEXT DAYS (11 to 14.10)

ATTENTION the table Palmas: For 36 years, the ecological capital of Tocantins which would be held on 10/11 | 7pm was canceled.

11.10 and 12.10 | 9am – workshop Inventa(rio) Fronteiras: Playing for Multispecies Cities

11.10 | 10am – workshop Elémenterre teaching bag

11.10 | 11am – table Learning to inhabit the Anthropocene: the crisis of architecture

11.10 | 2pm – table Architecture for Learning and Civic Use

11.10 | 3pm – table Culture and Public Architecture

11.10 – 15h – workshop Elémenterre teaching bag

11.10 | 4pm – table Reconnecting with Nature & Circular Design

11.10 | 5pm – table Architecture of Belonging: Interpreting Heritage Through Place

12.10 | 10am – table Experience: Climate Refuges and Naturalized Public Spaces, with Eco-Neighborhood

12.10 | 10:30 am – table Childhoods and Climate: Climate Justice in Vulnerable Territories

12.10 | 10:30 am – Windsock Workshop with the Floating Collective 

12.10 | 3pm – table Doing a lot with a little: architectures for a planet in transition with Esteban Benavides from Al Borde office

12.10 | 4:30 pm – table Earth – building a sustainable and democratic future 

12.10 | 5:45 pm – table French presence at the Biennale and screening of the film AJAP – Albums of Young Architects and Landscape Architects

13.10 – activity Pantanal Action at IABsp

10/14 | 10am – table Urgent Panorama! Space as an act of permanence

14.10 | 6pm – Launch of the “Nature-Based Education” Guide

JOIN! IT'S ALL FREE!

And there's much more until October 19th!

NOTE OF CONDOLENCE

With deep sorrow, the Brazilian Institute of Architects – São Paulo Department (IABsp) mourns the passing of architect and landscape architect Kongjian Yu, a global leader in ecological urbanism, and the members of his team who accompanied him, tragically killed during the filming of a documentary. The institute is honored to have had him as a participant in the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, where his transformative vision strengthened the dialogue between global challenges and local realities. IABsp emphasizes that Yu's contribution, which transcends borders, will remain an inspiration for generations and expresses its condolences to China, to the families of all the deceased, to his friends, and to all those impacted by his genius and dedication. Read the full note here.

Access the PROGRAM page and see how to participate in the activities