Inhotim (Minas#3)

The final day in Minas Gerais is spent in Inhotim. I arrive the Monday morning back in BH, after a few hours' ride from OP, and catch the only bus that takes you directly to the park. Bus rides are always a fantastic way to see how the city liquifies at its fringes, and how villages and other cities pop up in the landscape. You see people coming in and out of the bus, and start imagining some daily life on basis of the faces, the street shops, and so on. Interesting and fascinating way of travelling and getting impressions of a region that you just are passing.

Landscapes on the way

Inhotim is a botanical garden with art galleries and art installations - giving the visitor a wonderfull experience between amazing nature and internationally known artists. Note that art is not as accessible as in Europe, meaning that visiting an art gallery or park is something quite special, almost elitist somehow or very touristic. And art places are considered as something very fine. I arrive there around 11 o'clock and have about five hours to enjoy the park and its artistic 'gourmandise'. Hunger makes me start with a little snack break at the café, close to the entrance. Here already you sit in a very fancy designed space but in such connexion to nature that you are almost sharing your meal with the curious birds.

Shared the morning coffee and cake with this bird

On the path, my first meeting is with the cousin of the iguane, seemingly not very happy to meet me. Could he imagine to bite me? I don't know and feel very stupid about my un-knowledge, which I assume would be a simple question to answer for any local. Probably they would laugh at me. But that is part of being a tourist in a country: making laugh the locals, no?

First views of Inhotim: breath-taking colours and art/nature relations

Crazy sights of nature - vegetal spiders?

Anyway walking on with my little map, I discover fancy or funny installations, implanted between vegetal spaces of great beauty: the palm trees, their leaves, their trunc, the textures, the many nuances of greens and inbetween the flashy spot of a colourful flower. Amazing! Huge or tiny, thin or thick, a piece of mata atlantica... Wild orchids, humming birds - I saw a true humming bird! As fast and swift as a dream, but I saw it. And they laugh at me because they are the most common thing to see here. But no one can stop my excitment and thrilled 'little-girl's-eyes'.

Art installation in the magnificent nature of Inhotim

The park alterates well between moments of visit and moments of walking on paths, reaching new spaces. A special garden shows poisonous plants, another smelling plants, another place it is huge palm trees or jungle vegetation... I cannot even recall the various vegetal spaces, just recall the amount of variety!

Smells, colours, flying orchids or slender bamboos...

As for the art installations, it is pictural art, photographs, sound or video installations... And furthermore it is the architectural expression of those galleries, playing with views and sensations, confronting the visitor with intense architectural and natural experiences. A room was hosting an enormous amount of speakers, each and everyone giving the sound of one voice. From some places in the room, it could seem as a huge chaotic thing, while other places you could recognise the symphony of voices. Amazing experiences - makes you wanna join in an sing your own voice and interpretation, which I did.

Perspectives on the way out, or on the way in to two different galleries

Reflections in architecture or water

A natural living room?


Art dropped from the sky and in dialogue with the view

Another gallery is divided in four rooms of experiences: the relaxed atmosphere of a pool, the calming of a hamac, the fun of playing with balloons or the coolness of a tiled floor. Each room had more experiences, but I guess that every visitor only keeps a few physical memories here - interesting. Some dramatic installations out in nature, were in strong dialogue with the surroundings as well. Fascinating!

Last look leaving Inhotim...

At evening, I reach BH just in time to get to my host. I feel disgusting from dust and sweat of the whole day and the shower is most welcome! With some rest - next day it is an early start to get my plane back to Curitiba :-)

Thanks to the Minas people for great moments and meetings!