The U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo, located in the district of Santo Amaro, launched a permanent exhibition with 22 panels that reproduce murals made by the renowned Brazilian urban artist Eduardo Kobra in the United States. Kobra has 50 artworks in the United States, the largest number after his homeland Brazil.
Visa applicants in São Paulo can visit the exhibit, which celebrates the bicentennial of U.S.-Brazil diplomatic relations. The United States of America was one of the first countries to recognize Brazil’s independence and is among its main partners in areas that range from commerce and security to tourism, culture, and education.
The bicentennial commemoration started in 2022 with the 200th anniversary of Brazil’s Independence and continue through May 2024.
“The United States is proud to be part of Brazil’s story since the beginning. With our determination and diversity, we have become the two major democracies and economies in the hemisphere. And there is no better way to celebrate this friendship than with projects that strengthen our solid ties even more,” stated the U.S. Consul General in São Paulo, David Hodge.
The works in the exhibit depict shared values of both countries, such as tolerance, respect, peace, and union, and highlight the historical and geographic diversity of the United States.
Eduardo Kobra’s journey is intimately linked to the United States. According to Kobra, apart from São Paulo, where he was born and grew up, 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 deeply influenced him.
“To paint in the United States has always been a dream to me,” affirms Kobra. The dream came true. His first work in the country, “O Beijo” (“The Kiss”), from 2013, became one of the most photographed spots in New York, and is part of the exhibit at the U.S. Consulate.
The Consular waiting area where the exhibit is displayed receives an impressive number of visitors every 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 combined ranked second among U.S. diplomatic posts around the world in the number of visa applications received.