Fire Street Women series

Roberta Santana, Brazil

Born in Campinas, São Paulo. He lived the end of his childhood in Aracaju in the State of Sergipe. Dedicated to manual binding of artistic books, layouts and paintings. From an early age, he was interested in the world of arts, inspired by his mother. He studied Design and Philosophy, where he obtained an aesthetic and critical sense of what he sought to develop, above all, in his artistic tasks. Living in Paraty/RJ since 2020, he discovered some stories told by its inhabitants and became interested in the infamous oral history of the women of Rua do Fogo. The story or history of the women on this street is full of controversies... these are the oralities spoken by guides, elders and other so-called caiçaras. Some claim that there were brothels on this beautiful street, others say that the city's Forum was actually the old brothel and that there are documents at Paraty city hall that prove its occupation as a brothel in colonial times. Rua do Fogo was a red light street, which operated during the period of the then infamous Caminho do Ouro. The confluence between drovers and sailors “supplied” this “market”. “This was the way to honor and think about all the women who had prostitution as a means of survival... those of the past, who made their way on the streets of Paraty, on the streets of Brazil and on the streets of world. Those that are still in alleys and alleys and those that are yet to come... by free choice, corrupted in their childhood or trafficked.” The paintings ask: Who were they?! Where did they come from?! What were your dreams?! Who are your children?! There is a silence and a dream screaming inside the chests of the girls who are in the prostitution market. But we are too insensitive to be able to hear.