NEW YORK, NY.- Friedman Benda presents Campana Brothers: Concepts, the first solo gallery show in the United States by the renowned Brazilian designers, June 5-July 3, 2013.
The exhibition introduces several new bodies of work that demonstrate a different direction for the brothers, while offering a complex and in-progress view of their practice as it stands during a pivotal moment in their careers. Loose and experimental in nature, Concepts will see the Campanas exploring a series of new approaches to their practice while overturning previously held certainties and expectations.
Arguably the most influential and acclaimed designers from any emerging country in the world, the Campana Brothers’ work is strongly influenced by their home country, Brazil, and thematically touches upon issues ranging from globalization to sustainability. Light-hearted and playful in nature, the Campanas’ designs often employ the use of recycled and humble materials, elevating these materials to a higher level in the creation of works that cross cultural boundaries while incorporating themes of transformation and reinvention.
The new works for Concepts include the Boca (Portuguese for “mouth”) series--new works in cowhide including a wall-mounted bookshelf, table, and standing shelf; the Racket collection--chairs and a screen in bent brass with a nylon stitched base and a hand-stitched motif made from remnant Thonet chair backings; Fitas (Portuguese for “stripe”)--a buffet, cabinet, and table made from bent steel; Pirarucu -- a cabinet made out of the sustainably harvested tanned and leathered skin of the Brazilian Pirarucu, the world’s largest fresh water fish; and the Ametista collection--a series of glass hanging panels adorned with Sao Paulo-sourced amethyst rocks. Concepts will also include a new sofa and chair created out of a series of life-like stuffed alligators made by OrientaVida, an NGO that employs underprivileged women.
The Campana Brothers, Fernando (born 1961) and Humberto (born 1953) have steadily built a career, achieving both national and international recognition since opening their studio in 1983. Based in Sao Paulo, Estudio Campana is constantly investigating new possibilities while creating bridges and dialogues where the exchange of information is a source of inspiration.
Campana pieces are part of the permanent collections of renowned cultural institutions including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, and the Museum of Modern Art in Sao Paulo.
The brothers were honored with the Designer of the Year Award in 2008 by Design Miami/ and were awarded the Designers of the Year Award by Maison & Objet in 2012. That same year they were selected for the Comité Colbert Prize in Paris, honored at Beijing Design Week, and received the Order of Cultural Merit in Brasilia. In May 2013, they will be awarded the Order of Arts and Letters in Paris.
