Amazing art exhibitions to check out in São Paulo in July!

Embark on an immersive journey through the universe based on real data! For those looking to include a tech-driven attraction in their July cultural itinerary, “Smithsonian Journey Through the Cosmos” is a virtual reality adventure that transforms data from agencies such as the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and NASA into immersive visuals, allowing you to explore Hubble, James Webb, Chandra, and more.

Honoring the 95th birthday of one of Brazil’s greatest writers, the exhibition celebrates five decades of the classic *Marcelo, Marmelo, Martelo*. The project was designed especially for children, with vibrant colors and works positioned at children’s eye level, allowing for a playful exploration of the author’s literary career.

Margarida Pandolfo, mother of OSGEMEOS, debuts her first solo exhibition in July at the Immigration Museum. “Assim Bordei Meus Sonhos” brings together crochet, embroidery, and paintings that engage with her sons’ work and the memory of Lithuanian immigration.

The exhibition features 25 textile works created with chaguar fibers by Claudia Alarcón and the Silät collective, composed of 100 weavers from the Wichí people. The works explore vibrant colors and geometric patterns that recount ancestral mythologies and the spiritual connection to the land, transforming weaving into an act of resistance.

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the ship’s history, featuring faithful replicas and 3D projections. It’s your chance to relive the saga, from its construction to the final moments of the collision with the iceberg.

The exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the monarch’s death, offering a reflection on his legacy in the formation of Brazil. Visitors can view previously unseen pieces from private collections, such as an 1817 caricature by “O Mulato,” as well as personal items belonging to the king and Carlota Joaquina.

This mega-exhibition celebrates 30 years of the Pixar franchise! In a 1,100-square-meter space, visitors can view original storyboards , sculptures of iconic characters like Woody and Buzz, and works by Brazilian artists (such as Eduardo Kobra) who reinterpret this classic world of animation.

This immersive virtual reality experience transports visitors inside the world’s most famous cathedral. Wearing state-of-the-art headsets, you’ll explore the monument’s history, from its construction in the Middle Ages to its restoration following the 2019 fire.

This experience is for people ages 8 and up; those under 18 may participate only when accompanied by a guardian.

Although not strictly an exhibition, CASACOR São Paulo is also included in our cultural tips for the month. Now in its 39th edition, Latin America’s largest architecture and design fair features 70 showrooms, a program of panel discussions, and a focus on sustainability, nature, and well-being.

The first solo exhibition in São Paulo by this Indigenous artist from Ceará, the show features paintings created using the toá technique, a natural pigment found in the soil of her territory. The canvases bring together ancestral knowledge and territorial resistance, portraying the cosmology of the Tremembé people through elements such as mangroves, birds, and canoes.

For the first time in Latin America, this exhibition recreates Nadar’s iconic studio—where masters such as Monet, Renoir, and Degas exhibited their works— in 3D virtual reality. Explore the galleries, discover the landscapes that inspired the movement, and feel the energy that changed the course of art in a unique experience, ideal for all ages 8 and up.

This interactive exhibition places childhood at the center of the artistic experience, making it a must-see for families. “For Children: Experiences with Art Since 1968” brings together 11 works designed for young audiences, engaging visitors of all ages.

The Pinacoteca de São Paulo kicks off its season with the first comprehensive retrospective of the Cameroonian artist in Brazil. Visitors can explore monumental installations that use everyday objects, such as vases and plastic bags, to reflect on global themes and historical events.

The five-decade career of Bahian photographer Lita Cerqueira is highlighted in an exhibition featuring 47 photographs and previously unseen Super 8 films. Her lens captures everyday life, Black music, and popular cultural expressions with a unique sensibility, reaffirming photography as an instrument of cultural memory.

The exhibition celebrates the legacy of Bahian artist Riolan Coutinho and his disciples, exploring aesthetic freedom and experimentation with materials. Featuring paintings, sculptures, and drawings, the exhibition highlights how modernist ideals continue to influence contemporary Brazilian art, fostering a dialogue among different generations of artists.

In the spirit of the World Cup, the exhibition brings together award-winning photographs and candid moments of the King of Soccer. In addition to celebrating Pelé’s legacy, the exhibition is part of Forniamo’ cultural project, which combines gastronomy and art in a welcoming setting.

Beyond its cultural value, the initiative also has a social purpose. Therefore, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the works will be donated to Hospital Cruz Verde, a leading facility in the care of people with severe cerebral palsy.

Through sound and audiovisual installations, the artist explores the relationship between humans and mosquitoes, focusing on the rare “blue mosquito.” The main work, filmed in collaboration with Fiocruz, offers a fresh perspective on environmental destruction, while concrete sound sculptures fill the gallery with electronic buzzing sounds.

This exhibition at the Museum of Sacred Art explores the connections between sports and the sacred. Located in the MAS/Metrô Tiradentes Hall, the exhibition examines how the soccer field becomes a space for collective devotion, where the rituals, promises, and mysticism of fans and athletes converge.

A rare collection of cartography from the 16th to the 18th centuries reveals how Brazil was imagined and depicted during the “golden age” of maps. The exhibition brings together more than 50 historical works, including nautical charts and planispheres, which blend geographical accuracy with fantastical elements such as sea monsters and myths of the New World.

Organized in partnership with the Burle Marx Institute, the exhibition focuses on the role of botany in the landscape architect’s work. Through project drawings and previously unpublished documentation, visitors learn how vegetation was used to create more inclusive cities, combining modernism with environmental preservation in Brazil.

The exhibition traces the life and work of Laudelina de Campos Mello, a pioneer in the fight for domestic workers’ rights in Brazil and founder of the first union for domestic workers.  The exhibition features a rich collection of photographs, documents, and historical objects, placing them in dialogue with works by 40 contemporary artists to reflect on anti-racism. 

For the first time in nearly 70 years, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group’s art collection is leaving its headquarters in Washington for a public exhibition. The show brings together 157 works by artists from 26 countries, uniting established names in art history (such as Diego Rivera, Tomie Ohtake, and Olga de Amaral) with a powerful new generation of international contemporary artists.

For the first time in South America, the exhibition offers a panoramic view of Damián Ortega’s 30-year body of work . Known for defying gravity and the logic of matter, the Mexican artist transforms everyday objects into playful and monumental installations.

The highlight is *Cosmic Thing*, a work never before shown in Brazil, in which an entire Volkswagen Beetle appears disassembled and suspended in midair, inviting visitors to reflect on the impacts of industrialization and consumerism in Latin America.

“Foto de Quebrada” puts the periphery at the center of its own narratives. Bringing together works from a national competition and a special section by the Click na Favela collective (Paraisópolis), the exhibition uses photography to reveal stories, emotions, and the complexity of peripheral territories.

Visual artist Camila Arruda presents a cultural exploration of the rise in coffee consumption in China, a country traditionally associated with tea. Through 15 previously unseen works, including paintings, sculptures, installations, and videos, the exhibition explores how the Brazilian coffee bean has become an icon of status, modernity, and prestige for Chinese youth.

The exhibition celebrates the work of Hudinilson Jr., an artist who pioneered the culture of self-portraiture long before social media. The exhibition features photocopies, collages, and paintings on wood and fabric, as well as personal objects that show how life and art came together for him. The title comes from his graffiti from the 1980s, which addressed themes such as voyeurism and the freedom of the male body.

The Pinacoteca de São Paulo presents the first institutional exhibitionby Japanese-Brazilian artist Alice Yura. Divided into three sections, the exhibition explores family memory and the construction of the image. The artist, who grew up surrounded by photographers, draws on her family’s studio archive in Mato Grosso do Sul to create a dialogue between photography and performance.

Conceived by photographer Paulo Vitale, “Cartunistas” brings together portraits of 144 leading figures in Brazilian cartoons and comics. The exhibition features more than 20 previously unpublished photos of personalities such as Mauricio de Sousa, Laerte, Angeli, and Ziraldo, as well as emerging talents from social media.

Visual artist and museologist Verônica Spnela proposes a shift in perspective on art history: looking at painting through the lens of its raw materials. Divided into four interactive and sensory sections, the exhibition connects geology to poetic expression, showing how raw minerals extracted from the earth around the world (from Afghan lapis lazuli to the ochres found in Brazilian soil) have shaped humanity’s aesthetic choices over the centuries.

The Luisa Strina Gallery opens its doors to two concurrent exhibitions that invite reflection on time and community. In Gallery 1, Marina Saleme’s solo exhibition “Ralo” brings together more than 20 previously unseen paintings in various sizes that explore the constant flow and impermanence of the world through fluid landscapes.

In Room 2, the project “Que beleza, ” curated by Alexandre da Cunha and José Augusto Ribeiro, presents an overview of contemporary art. The exhibition is divided into two phases: the first showcases works by 16 veteran artists from previous editions, followed by works by six newly invited artists.

The O Jardim gallery presents the first solo exhibition by a visual artist in its space. Lucrécia Couso’s exhibition, curated by Andrés Hernández, explores expanded photography through a fusion of images, fabrics, installations, and living organic elements that transform over the course of the exhibition.

Divided into three poetic themes (“Andromeda,” “Insult/Tenderness,” and “Ancestry”), the artist uses hand-stitching with red thread, depictions of urban vegetation, and family memories to explore the power that governs human emotions and nature.

The Ema Klabin House Museum offers an immersive experience into daily life and urban evolution in this exhibition currently on view in São Paulo. Conceived by Paulo de Freitas Costa, the exhibition reconstructs the city of São Paulo through the intimate, tragic, or humorous perspectives of ten female writers from different eras and backgrounds, including Rita Lee, Zélia Gattai, and Helena Silvestre.

Divided into five narrative themes, the exhibition spans the rooms of the house, featuring literary excerpts and rare photographs of the authors’ personal spaces, as well as audio recordings and an interactive reading area.

This group exhibition explores the boundaries between form, time, and memory. Bringing together works by artists Arthur Arnold, Lucas Länder, Montez Magno, and Natália Guarçoni, theexhibition treats matter itself as a living, poetic organism.

Through paintings, organic assemblages, objects, and photographs that incorporate elements such as sand, wax, and mortar, the project creates a dialogue between contemporary art and the natural processes of erosion and transformation.

“STEAM XP Curious Universe” is an immersive, playful, and interactive attraction making its debut in São Paulo! Combining science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, the exhibition invites children and adults to become “Curiosity Investigators. “

The visit is guided by projections of brilliant minds such as Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Tarsila do Amaral, and Santos Dumont. Recommended for ages 5 and up, the exhibition allows visitors to build contraptions, fire mathematical catapults, and admire replicas of the 14-bis.

Visual artist Maria Nepomuceno presents her solo exhibition “∞ ∞ (infinite infinity).” Featuring approximately ten previously unseen sculptures created with ropes, beads, weaves, and straw, the exhibition showcases malleable forms and chromatic spirals that defy gravity.

Inspired by Yasunari Kawabata’s poetic work *The Snow Country*, the exhibition offers a sensory immersion in the subtleties of the color white within Japanese culture, exploring four themes: snow, paper, silk, and salt.

Featuring monumental works by artists such as Ayumi Shibata and Kaoru Hirano, the collection reveals unique color palettes, traditional weaving techniques, and installations that connect ancestry, family memory, and spirituality.

The A CASA do Objeto Brasileiro Museum is back! In July, the cultural center reopens its doors with the exhibition “Música Artesanal,” curated by pianist and composer Benjamim Taubkin. The exhibition explores the journey of crafting instruments essential to Brazil’s musical identity, highlighting the work of contemporary luthiers alongside historical pieces.

Featuring historical photographs, a never-before-seen video, and a program packed with interactive experiences and musical performances, the exhibition is an unmissable journey into the cultural richness of São Paulo.