Wednesday June 11, 2008. 8.00PM to 11.00PM
White Cubicle Toilet Gallery, George and Dragon Public House, 2 Hackney Road, London E2

On Tuesday August 21, 2001, Patricia Abravanel, the 24 year old daughter of TV presenter Silvio Santos was kidnapped as she was on her way to university from her father's home in the São Paulo suburb of Morumbi. Her father, Silvio Abravanel, born in the 1930s had started as a street vendor and had worked his way up until he became Silvio Santos, Brazil’s most important TV presenter, Show de Calouros (Amateur Talent Show) which ran for 23 years every Sunday, and Topa Tudo Por Dinheiro (Do Everything for Money) were some of his most famous shows. Silvio became the owner of his own TV channel SBT, Brazil’s second TV network and built an empire around it: most of his 35 businesses, including a bank and a lotto, profit from selling dreams to the country’s poorest. A week later after being kidnapped, his daughter Patricia was released after her father paid a ransom of US$ 200,000, and in a rescue process that included Santos himself held hostage under gun in his own house during seven hours by the same person who had kidnapped his daughter. Brazil's television stations broadcasted live the siege at the home of Santos, who was released after the São Paulo state governor personally guaranteed the safety of the kidnapper, Fernando Dutra Pinto. Sources believed Pinto, who was also accused of killing two policemen, sought refuge in Santos's mansion because he feared he was in danger of being killed by police to avenge their colleagues' deaths. SBT’s TV ratings hadn’t been higher.

Miss Abravanel immediately became a public figure. Upon her release, Patricia told to the television reporters "The kidnaper was fantastic, he didn't lay a hand on me, I was let go because my God is powerful." Miss Abravanel was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages in which the hostage shows feelings of loyalty to the hostage-taker. Mr. Santos declared “If I had known that this was going to be Patricia’s reaction, I would have let her stay more days with the kidnappers!”. Miss Abravanel and her kidnapper were also Christian Evangelicals. It is said that he fell in love with her in one of the ceremonies at Assembléia de Deus temple, where both used to go for prayer.

Abravanation:
On the 25th of January of 2006, on the 452 anniversary of the foundation of the city of São Paulo, artists and performers Ricky Castro and Chiris Gomes dressed in lycra and wore glitter makeup, both looking like something between street mimes and transvestites. Castro and Gomes danced while holding 100 purple helium balloons and doing the first Abravanation on the Viaduto do Chá bridge. Abravanation was the term Castro conceived from the derivation of Patricia Abravanel’s last name, saying that the condition of being brain washed that she had developed after being kidnapped was that of being Abravanada. Ricky started using this term to define his public performances, carnivals of explosions, freedom and colour.

abravanation links:
http://www.myspace.com/abravana
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=abravanation

White Cubicle Toilet Gallery
George and Dragon Public House
2 Hackney Road, London E2
http://www.whitecubicle.org
http://www.myspace.com/georgeanddragon