Creativity has been spilling into every corner of my life lately — new ideas, new hobbies, and a surprising amount of travel. It feels like I’m absorbing everything around me and letting it spark something new. Which brings me to my next little adventure.

Cultural Curitiba: Concerts & Contemporary Art

I recently went to Curitiba — one of Brazil’s great cultural hubs — to see Linkin Park on their From Zero tour. My partner is a huge fan, and over time I’ve grown more and more into their music after learning about their history. Seeing Emily live was incredible; her voice is stunning. Mike was sweet, charismatic, and effortlessly talented.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the opening act: Poppy. Back in 2020, I liked a few of her hyperpop songs like Am I a Girl?, and only recently found out she had gone “metal.” Her performance was amazing — the way she switches from delicate high notes to flawless screamo is wild.

Nothing revives the soul like a good concert: shaking, jumping, screaming, and absolutely destroying your feet (RIP to mine, who walked 30 minutes in tight heels to get there).

Another gem of Curitiba that I had to revisit is the contemporary art museum MON (also known as “Museu Oscar Niemeyer”), designed by Oscar Niemeyer, one of Brazil’s most iconic architects. The museum has a beautiful permanent collection of African and Asian artifacts — musical instruments, ceremonial objects, textiles, prints, paintings, fabrics, jewelry. Every room feels like stepping into a new world.

From the special exhibitions on display, my favorite was ‘Pure Gold – Upcycled! Upgraded!‘. It showcased chairs, stools, and couches made entirely from recycled or upcycled materials. A few pieces that caught my attention:

• a chair made completely out of compressed wool (I’m so curious how sturdy it actually is — wool can get really dense, especially when steamed)
• a stool made from pineapple skin-paper/material, glued together sheet by sheet
• stools built using dismantled washing-machine drums, decorated in that charming “country” embroidery style

Some works were more conceptually interesting than pretty or practical, but I really enjoy seeing how the upcycling movement keeps evolving. There’s a cool article digging deeper into the exhibition here, in the ‘Design Do Bom’ blog if you want to read further (you might have to translate it to eng.). There were a few other special exhibitions I’ve stopped at to gather some inspiration but did not dig to deep into:

1. Através by Mariana Palma a trippy, floral, painting collection that incorporates sheer fabrics and colorful patterns
2. Trilhos e Traços by Poty a centenary celebratory collection from the important Brazilian artist, and
3. Afeganistão a collection of rugs with imagery surrounding themes of war and peace.

Below are some of my favorite pieces from the museum, along with translated captions from MON.

Finding My Footing as a Baby DJ

I’ve been invited to a couple of techno parties recently, and — very differently from before — I’ve started paying attention in a whole new way. Suddenly I’m noticing the transitions, effects, pacing, how the DJ interacts with the crowd… all the invisible details that shape the energy of a room. Something in me is shifting.

To be honest, I resisted this shift for a long time. I already consume visual art in such a technical, analytical way that I wanted music to stay pure — something I could just feel without needing the vocabulary to dissect it. But curiosity won (as it always does with me), and now I’m diving into the musical side of things too.

In the last few events, I met some DJs, got tips, saw things I want to try (and things I definitely don’t), and started discovering subgenres I might want to explore. One that surprised me was dark forest techno, which I heard at this witchy, high-BPM party played by DJ Cerridwen. In the middle of her set, she dropped some wild experimental blends — and even a full-on samba — and the crowd absolutely devoured it. That moment made me realize how much freedom there actually is in a well-built set.

Around the same time, I went to Baile dos Gêmeos, the iconic local twin DJ duo, and their set was everything people promised: energetic, playful, technically sharp, and full of personality. It left me buzzing with ideas about what’s possible behind the decks.

All of this — the parties, the classes, the conversations — is pushing me out of the passive listener role and into something more active. In our last DJ class, I brought a few harder-techno tracks I wasn’t sure would land, but my classmates were super into it. It was such a small thing, but it gave me a surprising boost of confidence.

Which brings me to now:
I’m preparing for my first real set. And even though everyone else will probably play house (of course), I’m feeling pulled toward something darker, heavier, and a little riskier. I don’t know if it’ll be the perfect fit, but I’m excited to try — and excited to keep finding my own sound, one experiment at a time.

Mini Playlist:

1. Cut the Bridge – recent song by Linkin Park
2. Negative Spaces – latest Poppy album
3. Coisas Naturais – song by Marina Sena (summer is here!)
4. Europaträume – song by Brutalismus 3000 (a little techno for ya)
5. One Kiss – Dua Lipa & Calvin Harris (my favorite from her)
6. Caetanear – album to get to know Caetano Veloso (see below)

A Pop-Powered Stop in São Paulo

This trip was mostly to see Dua Lipa — which was very exciting — and to visit some close friends. The concert was energetic and fun, and she kept the whole crowd dancing for the full two hours. As expected with large concerts, there were a few annoying moments with overly excited fans claiming too much space or screaming in your ear, but honestly that’s part of the concert ecosystem at this point. It wasn’t enough to spoil the night.

Her voice, outfits, and song list were great. The production was incredible — it felt like every song had its own mini music video. And the highlight of the night? The guest appearances by Carlinhos Brown and Caetano Veloso, my childhood #1 artist. It was surreal! Dua sang beautifully in Portuguese, and her choice of guests and songs was perfect.

Dua is one of those rare mainstream artists I’ve come to like more over time. Hopefully I won’t be betrayed — I’ve been disappointed by public figures too many times to trust anyone easily anymore. If you want to check out the videos I made of the concert (and of Linkin Park and Poppy’s concerts too!) check out my tiktok @queer.on.a.beer.

The rest of the trip was spent wandering around Liberdade with my partner, hunting for Yugioh cards to finish our decks, and eating delicious Asian snacks. (Any other players?)

Seeing my childhood friends was so healing, as always. There’s nothing like being with people who truly know you — the version of you that can say anything, without filters, and feel understood. Best part of the trip!

I also managed to squeeze in a visit to MASP, São Paulo’s most important art museum and one of my long-time bucket-list stops — and it was absolutely worth it. I explored:

1. The Permanent Collection Gallery, a fascinating open-concept experience where artworks are mounted on transparent easels, layered through a wide, fluid space that lets you wander and discover pieces (and people) in your own organic path;
2. Ponto sem Retorno (Point of No Return) by Clarissa Tossin, a multifaceted solo exhibition with works exploring nature, the body, time, and the relationships between these themes; and
3. Histórias da Ecologia (Ecology Histories), the museum’s major exhibition at the time, spanning six floors of the newly opened building and presenting a wide range of ecological concepts through diverse mediums and artists.

Below are some highlights from the visit: