The Botanical Garden Museum opens an exhibition by Flavia Daudt about the Brazilian Cerrado

A sensory and poetic journey through the Brazilian Cerrado via contemporary art. This is the premise of the exhibition “Ser(tão): Immersion in the Cerrado,” which the Botanical Garden Museum will open on the 23rd. Featuring new works by visual artist Flavia Daudt, the exhibition occupies various spaces within the museum and combines photomontage, installation, and sound art to reflect on the ecological richness and vulnerability of the country’s second-largest biome. Admission is free.

By hosting the exhibition, the Botanical Garden Museum reinforces its commitment to bringing art, science, and biodiversity together, promoting experiences that invite the public to reflect on the Cerrado and the challenges related to its conservation. Occupying about a quarter of the country’s territory and home to important river headwaters, the Cerrado is one of the biomes most threatened by advancing deforestation and agricultural expansion.

Based on research and travels conducted since 2021, Flavia Daudt and Ana Paula Freitas Valle have developed works inspired by the landscapes, species, and communities of the Cerrado. For the exhibition at the Botanical Garden Museum, a journey was conceived, divided into three environments, symbolically associated with earth, water, and air.

Right at the entrance, visitors encounter the installation “Um Cerrado Assim,” conceived by Ana Paula Freitas Valle, consisting of large-scale photo collages by Flavia Daudt, printed on silk and organza, measuring up to nearly three meters in height. The works poetically recreate the landscapes and natural beauty of the biome. The space also features sculptures inspired by termite mounds created by guest artist Willy Reuter, which enhance the sense of immersion in the depicted landscape.

Another highlight of the exhibition is “Land that Keeps”, an 8-meter-tall installation that occupies the museum’s main staircase with a monumental image of a tree and its roots embroidered by guest artist Mirele Volkart. The work extends from the ceiling down to the museum’s ground floor and is complemented by a sound installation featuring the sound of water, created by Joe Stevens.

On the first floor, the exhibition pays homage to the joão-de-pau, a bird found in the Brazilian Cerrado, with a large immersive wooden nest—made from sustainably pruned branches from the trees of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden—by guest artist Ricardo Siri. On the wall, in addition to a photo collage by Flavia Daudt, a large panel featuring birds of the biome, developed by ornithologist Luciano Lima, presents the songs of different species.

“Art plays a fundamental role in science communication because it can create emotional and sensory connections with topics that often reach the public only through data and statistics. At the Botanical Garden Museum, we believe in this convergence of scientific knowledge and artistic experience as a way to spark interest, raise awareness among visitors, and broaden the debate on the urgency of biodiversity conservation,” says Grazielle Giacomo, technical manager at the Botanical Garden Museum.

The event is part of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change’s (MMA) National Biodiversity Week program. Access the full schedule for the Week.

Ser(tão): Immersion in the Cerrado

Botanical Garden Museum

Opening: May 23, 2026

Visiting hours: Thursday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.)

Free admission