A free, sensory and interactive exhibition dedicated to singer-songwriter Tom Zé is on show at Caixa Cultural São Paulo, in Praça da Sé, until 13 December. Entitled “Tom Zé – 90 Anos do Inquieto Jardineiro de Sons”, the exhibition explores the life, influences and inventions of the artist, who was born in Irará, Bahia, on 11 October 1936.
The route includes spaces on his musical and literary influences, his 1968 victory at the 4th Brazilian Popular Music Festival with “São Paulo, Meu Amor”, recordings of performances, a quiz about his career and the instruments he created. Visitors can play a replica of the “buzinório”, an instrument invented by Tom Zé, and leave messages for him. The curator, Neuseli Martins, stresses that the exhibition is meant to be experienced, not just seen.
Tom Zé himself visited the exhibition on 6 October, days before turning 90, and said he had felt “like a child with joy”. A key figure of Tropicalismo and a member of the São Paulo Academy of Letters since 2022, the musician continues to create and record, does Eastern exercises every morning and says he hopes to reach 100.
