#10

Araka: a "party" for artists

For five years connecting and gathering countless artists from different influences, Michel “Araka” Mendes turns art into a agitated collective of content. Boom!

Imagine a party, whose objective is uniting different artistic manifestations, ideas and ideals, without leaving aside good music and a frozen beer at a high cost.Certainly, it´s not difficult and you might have already imagined 5 years ago, a time where the artist Michel Mendes put its "connection power” to gather different works and  projects spread around Rio de Janeiro. This is project Araka – Who's afraid of Aracy? , that will have its next edition wednesday 05/10, at 00, in Gávea.  

Even though it sounds strange, the name Araka, in reality, is the nickname of a inconvenient jury of a freshmen talent show, (a Brazilian old school version of Simon) from the 80s (Vish!). Side by side to Pedro de Lara, Aracy de Almeida stood herself for being extremely severe will the freshmen, especially with beginners. The woman was really a evil snake. Because the "party with a content" debuts opportunities to new artists in each edition, the name Araka came in hand, to joke and mesmerize this true wild beast of  Brazilian Tv. However, at Michel's Araka, the freshmen don't need to fear, the objective is far away of being (dis)approved or not. Fair enough, don't you think? 

“I exchanged my past job to do Fine Arts at UFRJ. Althought the fear of the uncertain artist career, every time I met someone that lived from art, I believed it was possible. Also, the contact with  creative people fed even more my desire for art" states Michel, who fulfilled its dream project after being part of “Hospedaria Carioca”, a similar project. “I missed a lot those moments and I decided to organize myself meetings.  That's how I created ARAKA,adapting some stuff”, concludes Michel Mendes.

ARAKA has become so important for my life that is very common, to be introduced to a new friend by: "this is Michel Araka", it turned into a nickname. I don't care and I even have fun!

Five years after, Michel seems to have made the right choice and it even jokes with the success of its initiative, which took him to Island Caras. "Before Araka I was very limited, I worked with visual arts, after I started working with culture. At Araka, for example I met my wife Juliana, a movie director, reveals the artist. “Araka taught me to interpret the culture of my age and human behaviour,making it easier to comprehend and anticipate new trends- and even needs - that no one suspected or hoped for. We motivate people to adopt those inovations and bring them to our daily life", completes.

Between paintings, graffitis, poetry, theatre, photography, visual performances, fashion, toy-art and music, the next Araka edition, which happens monthly, will have a very well humored subject that promises to explode this art folie. The works will focus on an episode that scared the hell out of the residents of Rio: the explosions of the electric pavement covers. “It was driving me insane, so I decide to make a well humored protest. The artists would make their own artistic intervention and would send us pictures. With this, all sorts of different projects appeared sculptures etc, the idea for this new Araka showed up”, finalizes Michel “Araka” Mendes.

To those interested, Michel leaves an open invite: “If anyone wants to expose its art with us we are always open to new artists, just send us an email with images of your art to artearaka@gmail.com”.

Follow Araka at Twitter,  Facebook and its site.

Service:
Araka: 05/10, no 00 (Av. Padre Leonel Franca, 240. Planetário)

Tel: (21) 2540-8041/ 2540-8042
http://www.00site.com.br/

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