Mario Schifano's 1996 favela intervention documented in rare video

A 1996 video titled "L'ascenzione di Mario il pittore" by Arthur Omar, published by Multistudioms, documents Italian artist Mario Schifano's intervention in Rio de Janeiro's Morro Santa Marta favela. Schifano painted several shacks white, an unprecedented color for the area, and engaged with residents. The footage was later transferred onto computer-prepared canvas in a series called Making Off, one of Schifano's final works before his death in 1998. The favela, home to over 8,000 people, lacked basic sanitation and paved roads at the time. The video also includes behind-the-scenes material by Sabrina Acciari. While Schifano's approach has been criticized as patronizing, the documentation provides a valuable historical record of favela life in the 1990s.