Carpenters Workshop Gallery presents Turning Tides: Designing a Modern Brazil, an exhibition tracing 75 years of Brazilian design. Displaying masterpieces of design from the 1940s up until the present day, the works on show reveal the varying visions and influences that went on to inform the framework for modern Brazilian life.
Turning Tides honours a diverse cadre of Brazilian artists who navigated and shaped their creations in the crucible of Brazil’s culturally rich history, reflecting significant social, cultural, and political changes that influenced various aspects of society, including art and design. The included works feature design titans like Joaquim Tenreiro and Sergio Rodrigues, plus a roster of contemporary artists who were influenced by this pivotal period. This includes The Campana Brothers, a São Paulo-based studio founded by brothers Fernando and Huberto Campana, whose work is deeply rooted in Brazilian culture and traditions, igniting their pieces with an abundance of colour, textures and creative chaos.
In Brazil, visionary expression flourished. Notably, it was on the beaches of Rio De Jeneiro that Bossa Nova found its origins, and groundbreaking abstract art took root. Architects like Oscar Niemeyer and designers such as Joaquim Tenreiro, Lina Bo Bardi, Jose Zanine Caldas, Jorge Zalszupin, and Sergio Rodrigues infused a modernist feel into homes, offices, and public spaces, creating a distinctive Latin American design vocabulary.
The exhibited works include Joaquim Tenreiro’s Coffee Table (1950), made using Vinhático, a native Brazilian wood, a tribute to Latin America’s local wood and craftsmanship. Lina Bo Bardi’s Writing Desk (1950) exemplifies her pioneering contribution to Brazilian modernism, breaking gender barriers for women in a time and field mostly reserved for men. Jorge Zalszupin’s Lounge Set, Topolino, is a fusion of European influences with the local aesthetic, showcasing a new modern language unique to Brazil.
This transformative period witnessed Brazilas a cauldron of unparalleled creativity and cultural dynamism. Against a backdrop of sweeping political and social changes, the country experienced a seismic cultural shift that would eventually influence global design. As the epicenter of this cultural renaissance, Brazil became a melting pot for artists, designers, and thinkers, fostering an environment where experimentation and innovation thrived. This era laid the foundation for the emergence of Brazilian design to emerge as a global force with which to be reckoned.