The U.S. Consulate General in São Paulo, located in the Santo Amaro neighborhood, has launched a permanent exhibition featuring 22 panels that reproduce murals created by renowned Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra in the United States. Kobra has 50 works in the United States, the highest number after his home country, Brazil.
Visa applicants in São Paulo can visit the exhibition, which celebrates the bicentennial of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Brazil. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize Brazil’s independence and is among its key partners in areas ranging from trade and security to tourism, culture, and education.
The bicentennial celebration began in 2022 with the 200th anniversary of Brazil’s Independence and will continue until May 2024.
“The United States takes pride in being part of Brazil’s history from the very beginning. With our determination and diversity, we have become the two largest democracies and economies in the hemisphere. And there is no better way to celebrate this friendship than with projects that further strengthen our solid ties,” stated U.S. Consul General in São Paulo, David Hodge.
The works in the exhibition depict shared values between the two countries, such as tolerance, respect, peace, and unity, and highlight the historical and geographical diversity of the United States.
Eduardo Kobra’s journey is closely linked to the United States. According to Kobra, besides São Paulo, where he was born and raised, New York has always been his main point of reference, due to street artists from the 1970s, such as Eric Grohe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring, who have profoundly influenced him.
“Painting in the United States has always been a dream for me,” Kobra states. The dream has come true. His first work in the country, “The Kiss,” from 2013, has become one of the most photographed spots in New York and is part of the exhibition at the U.S. Consulate.
The consular waiting area where the exhibition is displayed receives an impressive number of visitors each year. In 2022 alone, the Consulate in São Paulo issued 300,000 non-immigrant visas. Last year, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil together ranked second among American diplomatic posts worldwide in the number of visa applications received.