A Zero Project Awardee from Brazil shows how accessibility and public transport can come together to make art accessible to millions of people in their everyday lives.
With the Centenários Project, the Motiva Institute has been transforming São Paulo's metro network into an accessible cultural space since 2023. Along Yellow Line 4, eleven major metro stations are being turned into public exhibition venues showcasing works by important Brazilian artists from the fields of literature, architecture, music, and visual arts.
The exhibitions are designed entirely according to the principles of Universal Design. Visitors will find Braille text and tactile signage, videos with Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), subtitles, audio descriptions, and information in plain language. Trained staff are available on-site to assist visitors. The accessible curation is a collaborative effort with the Brazilian NGO Escola de Gente, which promotes inclusive communication and cultural participation.
The project's unique feature lies in its location: art is not displayed in a museum, but rather in a place where hundreds of thousands of people travel daily. Access is free and included in the regular metro ticket. This allows the project to reach an exceptionally broad audience.
The impact is already clearly visible: Between 2023 and April 2025, over 380,000 people visited the exhibitions. Each new installation attracts more visitors – the exhibition at Station Luz alone reached almost 200,000 people within just a few months in 2025.
Three aspects make this project special:
- Culture in public spaces: Art is directly integrated into people's everyday lives.
- Comprehensive accessibility: The exhibitions are designed to be physically, sensorily, cognitively and digitally accessible.
- Wide reach: Thanks to its location in the metro system, the project reaches a particularly diverse audience.
Project leaders Renata Moraes (Instituto Motiva) and Claudia Werneck (Escola de Gente) emphasize:
„Motiva Institute promotes culture via Centenários, with accessibility curated by Escola de Gente.“
More information about the project is available here.