Publication

  • Infinite Because It Mirrors [Infinito Porque Espelha]
    Olivia Abrahão
    Editor
    Carla Juaçaba, Sidonio Porto, Mauro Restiffe, and Guilherme Wisnik
    Contributors
    Park Books, 2026
  • GRANTEE
    Olivia Abrahão & Carla Juaçaba
    GRANT YEAR
    2025

Carla Juaçaba, "Leques," installation view, "Infinite Because It Mirrors," exhibited in house designed by Sidonio Porto, São Paulo, 2024. Digital photograph. Photo: Camila Alba

The publication Infinite Because It Mirrors [Infinito Porque Espelha] presents an innovative reflection on art and architecture, exploring how experimental concepts can bridge disparate and distant temporalities. The project, developed independently by Olivia Abrahão, took place in a brutalist house designed by architect Sidonio Porto in 1976, and came to life through a unique site-specific intervention conceived by architect Carla Juaçaba in São Paulo. The accompanying publication includes critical essays by Guilherme Wisnik and Olivia Abrahão, unpublished interviews with Juaçaba and Porto, historical drawings, and a visual essay by renowned photographer Mauro Restiffe. This experimental approach demonstrates how architecture can transcend formalism, becoming a poetic dialogue between historical context and contemporary interpretation. It emphasizes the importance of reimagining architecture not merely as a physical structure but as an engaging and respectful experience that bridges past and present.

Since receiving her degree in architecture from Escola da Cidade, Olivia Abrahão has been actively engaged in exhibition curation. She was a collaborator at the 10th São Paulo Architecture Biennale (2013) and worked at Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York (2016). As the founder of Duto, a platform that explores the intersection of art and architecture through experimental exhibitions, Abrahão has organized shows such as Infinito Porque Espelha (2024); Ajustes do Corpo à Arquitetura (2020, online); and Deslocal (2019), which invited artists and architects to develop site-specific works. She also served as assistant curator to Guilherme Wisnik for exhibitions including Liceu: A Excelência do Fazer (Galeria Teo, 2022) and Pedra Viva: Serra da Capivara – O Legado de Niède Guidon (MuBE, 2023), and cocurated Elisa Arruda: Deslocamento Construtivo (MuBE, 2023). Abrahão is currently pursuing a master’s degree in history of architecture at the University of São Paulo (FAUUSP).

Since 2000, Carla Juaçaba has run an independent practice as an architect and researcher in Rio de Janeiro, focusing on both cultural programs and private projects. She actively contributes to academia through lectures and research at institutions like Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Juaçaba participated in the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia (2018) with the Vatican Chapels for the Holy See Pavilion, curated by Francesco Dal Co—later incorporated as part of Centre Pompidou’s permanent collection. Her interviews have appeared in books like Hans Ulrich ObristBrazilian Interviews Vol. 2 (Editora Cobogó, 2018); CATALOGUE 4.5 (2020); 140 Artists’ Ideas for Planet Earth (Penguin, 2022); and SIZA TALKS (Fundação Serralves, 2022). She has taught at Mendrisio Accademia in Switzerland since 2019 and was appointed full professor in 2023.