In this episode we’ll be speaking with Benjamin Seroussi, curator and artistic director of Casa do Povo Sao Paulo.

In 2012 Ben took up the directorship of a run down and all but forgotten jewish cultural centre in the heart of Sao Paulo Brazil. Through his leadership, establishing a radically inclusive and collaborative operational structure, Casa do Povo or the House of the People, has blossomed and thrived.

Inhabited by a dozen different groups, movements and collectives, including support for the homeless, antifacist boxing, a choir and a newspaper, Casa do Povo is a radical evolution of the cultural institutional model. Its interdisciplinary, process-based programming and socially-engaged activities conceive art as a critical tool in an ongoing process of social transformation. In this endeavor, the audience is not a target, but rather an active participant. in addition to visiting, people can also propose activities, making the space a locale for encounters, development and experimentation: a living monument, a place where to remember is to act. Casa do Povo’s programme is both diverse and inclusive encompassing a library, print studio, theatre, exhibitions, community kitchen and shared event spaces.