The collective exhibition Trovoada invites the public to reflect on art, ecology, and memory in the Atlantic Forest

Opening the 2026 artistic program of the Instituto Artistas Latinas, the exhibition brings together works by major Brazilian artists such as Juliana dos Santos, Marcela Cantuária, Mayra Carvalho, and Nara Guichon.

The Atlantic Forest is a living, pulsating organism that is under constant threat—one of the most diverse biomes on the planet, now reduced to only about 12% of its original coverage. In this vein, TROVOADA proposes art as an atmospheric force: a field of energy capable of announcing ruptures, possible futures, and the urgency of caring for the territory.

Bringing together works by Giselle Beiguelman, Juliana dos Santos, Karola Braga, Marcela Cantuária, Mayra Carvalho, Nara Guichon, Rafaela Kennedy (in collaboration with Labö), and Siwaju Lima, curated by Ana Carla Soler and Francela Carrera, with exhibition design by Gisele de Paula, the show occupies the iconic Galpão das Artes, a building located in the cultural corridor of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. The exhibition runs from January 8 to February 10, 2026.

The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, one of the most important in the world, becomes a fundamental setting for this encounter between art, science, memory, and nature. In this context, the artists create a symbolic ecosystem composed of videos, paintings, and installations that explore the relationship between body, spirituality, territory, and the environment. Each work acts as a singular phenomenon—a flash of lightning, a gesture, a whisper—producing zones of encounter between human affections and vegetal forces.

More than representing the forest, the artists traverse it. Their works listen to the irregular breathing of the biome, its tensions and resistances, inviting the public to recognize the power of a nature that insists on remaining, even when fragmented. Like thunder breaking the silence, the exhibition calls for attention and care.

“TROVOADA understands art as a discharge of perception, an impact that awakens. In the heart of the Botanical Garden, the exhibition becomes a call that resonates between times, bodies, and roots, revealing possible worlds where art and nature speak the same language again,” say curators Ana Carla Soler and Francela Carrera, from the Instituto Artistas Latinas.

The works presented, in an almost immersive manner, create a poetic narrative that aims to impact visitors, bringing a variety of textures, smells, and sounds. Among the highlights are the installation of seven videos created with artificial intelligence by artist Giselle Beiguelman, dealing with the impact of women in science, the works created with recycled fishing nets by artist Nara Guichon, and a super work measuring 3 by 4 meters by artist Juliana dos Santos, currently on display at the São Paulo Biennial.

The exhibition is one of the actions of the Cooperation Agreement signed between the JBRJ and Salvatore Eventos, integrating the project “Social and Environmental Responsibility and Cultural Programming of the Botanical Garden,” approved by the Culture Incentive Law of the Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy (SECEC-RJ), Law No. 7,035/2015, sponsored by Light.

Since 2019, the Instituto Artistas Latinas has been working to strengthen and expand knowledge about women's production in Latin American contemporary art. Its digital platform brings together hundreds of artists from different countries and fosters research, connections, and cultural exchanges, directly reaching 12 countries with in-person and virtual initiatives.

The Institute also develops educational activities, curatorial projects, and consulting services, in addition to promoting the participation of artists in art fairs and circuits. By inaugurating 2026 with TROVOADA, the institution reaffirms its commitment to constructing critical and sensitive narratives that intertwine art and ecology.

“The invited artists evoke a forest that is reborn even when fragmented and reaffirms, like thunder, that life requires space, care, and attention,” highlight Paulo Farias and Marianna Botelho, directors of the Institute.

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Exhibition: TROVOADA
Artists: Giselle Beiguelman, Juliana dos Santos, Karola Braga, Marcela Cantuária, Mayra Carvalho, Nara Guichon, Rafa Kennedy (in collaboration with Labö), and Siwaju Lima
Curators: Ana Carla Soler and Francela Carrera
Concept: Instituto Artistas Latinas
Sponsorship: Light and Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy
Production: Salvatore Eventos
Institutional support: Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute

Visiting hours: January 8 to February 10, 2026
Days and times: Thursday to Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Galpão das Artes, Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden – Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 – Rio de Janeiro.