The project started in May 2002 with a residency that brought together one hundred artists in Faxinal do Céu, city of Pinhão (Paraná), in the south of Brazil. The meeting was organized by the Secretary of Culture of the state of Paraná and was curated by Agnaldo Farias and Fernando Bini, with consulting by Christian Viveros. In the beginning, The house (or one could also think of it as The house spits) involved a real chalet, typical of the region, that was the guest artist’s accommodation and studio for the duration of the event.

In this project, exploring the concept of shelter and the familiar notion of housing, José Bechara establishes physical, metaphysical and visual relations to the habitat, creating poetic connections with the interior and the exterior of this place. By reorganizing the space with a rigorous method, the artist uses everyday objects as geometric forms, and inverts the idea of shelter by putting objects that relate to the human presence outside of the house.

The developments of the project were exhibited in important institutions in Brazil, such as the Contemporary Art Museum (MAC) in Paraná, the Modern Art Museum (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Tomie Ohtake in São Paulo, Museu Vale do Rio Doce in Vitória (ES ), and Paço Imperial in Rio de Janeiro

Vista lateral 1 (side view 1), 2002 (from the Domestic Landscape or I do not remember what we said yesterday series); Photography; 80 x 120 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Dedina Bernardelli

The Wardrobe, 2002 (from the Domestic Landscape or I do not remember what we said yesterday series); Photography; 80 x 120 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Dedina Bernardelli

Boca (mouth), 2002 (from the Domestic Landscape or I do not remember what we said yesterday series); Photography; 80 x 120 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Dedina Bernardelli

Banco para janela (bench for the window), 2002 (from the Domestic Landscape or I do not remember what we said yesterday series); Photography; 80 x 120 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Dedina Bernardelli

A Casa (The House), 2004. Partial view of the exhibition “A Casa” at Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM/RJ), Brazil. Photographic record: Vicente de Mello

Aéreo, 2004 (from the New series); Photography; 125 x 155 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Vicente de Mello

Berço (cradle), 2004 (from the New series); Photography; 125 x 155 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Vicente de Mello

Espera (wait), 2004 (from the Temporary series); Photography; 127 x 190 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Silvio Pozzato

Abstrata (Abstract), 2004 (from the Temporary series); Photography; 127 x 190 cm; Edition of 10. Photographic record: Silvio Pozzato