Lanchonete Lanchonete: A Radical Open Studio in Rio's Little Africa

The Associação Cultural Lanchonete <> Lanchonete is a contemporary art proposition/activation installed in a territory of Black and Indigenous ancestry in Rio de Janeiro's Gamboa neighborhood, known as Pequena África. Founded by artist Thelma Vilas Boas in 2016, it began as a stove built from Porto Maravilha construction debris to cook for local residents, evolving into a radically open studio, kitchen, and school. The project critiques the colonial nature of Brazilian art institutions by welcoming children, adolescents, and women from irregular occupations, prioritizing mutual learning and community over the art market. In 2019, it moved to a rented warehouse on Rua Pedro Ernesto, becoming the Associação Cultural Lanchonete<>Lanchonete, incorporating capoeira, printmaking workshops, a cinema club, and a library. The kitchen is run by local women. The project embodies a 'counter-colonial' art practice, challenging the narcissistic pact of whiteness in Brazilian art and fostering alliances with historically excluded populations. It operates as a 'counter-art' device, questioning the very conditions of possibility for contemporary art in a territory marked by Afro-diasporic memory and ongoing gentrification.