ATELIÊ 397

atelie397.com

R. Professor Gonzaga Duque, 148 – Pompeia 05022-050 – São Paulo, Brasil • +55 11 3865 2220 •contato@atelie397.com

With a narrow external corridor leading to a project space at the far end and an office off to the side, Ateliê 397 in São Paulo has difficult architecture to work with, yet since 2003 it has made use of its dimensions to stage a variety of exhibitions, talks and discussion groups to favourable response. Operating on a minimal income stream (a recent fundraising auction was held in its aid), the gallery primarily sees itself as a space for local artists to come and congregate. That said, in the past nine years it has hosted more than 40 exhibitions, both solo (for example, a recent site-specific show by Tiago Gomes saw a homage to Claes Oldenburg – ‘Sou a favor de uma arte – homenagem a Oldenburg’ – sloganised along the corridor wall) and group shows that promote artists from outside the city. One such exhibition was Superperformance, curated by artist Yiftah Peled over the summer, in which four other artists were asked to produce performances that could be endlessly replicated through a series of proliferating instructions.