In the heart of Brasília, where economic decisions and financial flows circulate, there are stories that rarely gain visibility.
Faces is born from this contrast.
About the project
In the heart of Brasília, where economic decisions and financial flows circulate, there are stories that rarely gain visibility. Faces emerges from this contrast.
The project brings together ten portraits of people who live (or have lived) in situations of vulnerability in the Setor Comercial Sul, one of the most central areas of the city. They are men, women, and trans individuals who share a common experience: the use of a community bathroom that, beyond being a basic service, has become a space of care, coexistence, and the reconstruction of dignity.
Created and renovated during the Covid-19 pandemic as an emergency response to the public health crisis, the facility provides showers, drinking water, and minimal hygiene conditions for those who lack access to these basic rights. Today, with the decline in donations, its continuity is under threat.
It is within this context that Faces takes shape—not only as an exhibition, but as a platform for listening and visibility.
More than simply observing, Faces proposes a shift: it is not just about seeing, but about recognizing oneself in the other.
About the community bathroom
On May 13, 2025, the community bathroom in Setor Comercial Sul marks its 5th anniversary, providing basic sanitation to those who pass through downtown Brasília. After being closed for 20 years, it was reopened during the pandemic and currently serves around 1,000 people per week.
In 2021, the initiative was presented at Stockholm World Water Week as a social technology ensuring sanitation for people who lack access to this basic right—many of whom are not even included in official census data. In 2023, the bathroom was one of the projects featured at the 8th International Festival of Urban Interventions in Rio de Janeiro.
The institute’s director-general, Rafael Reis, highlighted that “the space is a transformative and innovative instrument, showing that we can think about long-term collective constructions.”
Adopted through the “Adopt a Square” program, the facility operates collectively: the renovation was carried out by two local businesswomen from SCS, water and electricity are provided by the Plano Piloto Administration, and management is handled by No Setor with donations from civil society.
No Setor accepts donations in cleaning supplies and monetary contributions. The group maintains a page on the Benfeitoria platform and also receives direct donations via pix@nosetor.com.br.
Credits
Executive producer and photography: Ana Lima
Creative direction and visual identity: Pedro Matallo
Coordenation: Sofia Gomes
Ana Lima
Photographer
With over 30 years of experience, Ana Lima holds a degree in Social Communication from the University of Brasília (UnB) and has built a career spanning fashion, beauty, and food photography, with more than a decade of collaboration with Editora Abril. She also works in audiovisual production as a director and photographer.
She produced the feature film Indianara, screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, and is the author of the images in the book Telma da Babilônia, awarded at the Best Cookbook Awards 2025. She is currently directing the short documentary Prata 70, filmed in Pirenópolis (Goiás).
