campana brothers' exhibition at MAM RIO looks back at the duo's 35 years of design

the rio de janeiro museum of modern art (MAM RIO) is presenting the largest exhibition ever dedicated to brazilian designers fernando and umberto campana titled 35 revolutions. the show spans the campana brothers’ 35-year-long career, bringing together never-before-seen projects, installations designed specifically for the space, and a wide selection of design pieces and sculptures developed over the past decades.

all images by fernando laszlo unless otherwise noted

campana brothers – 35 revolutions is a show that aims to challenge the audience with a bold, immersive, and provocative montage. approximately 1,800 square-meters of MAM RIO have been filled by the irreverent, challenging, and creative art of the campana brothers. for the exhibition, the duo conceived an immersive environment, made up of a large set of installations, as well as dozens of pieces selected for the show. the idea is to highlight the duo’s ability of integrating handcraft and industrial references, the deep formal and material boldness, their relationship with surrealism, and their strong environmental concern.

‘art and design, for the campana brothers, is not a concept exclusively meant for museums but a revolutionary aesthetic conception where art becomes a common practice, thus capable of improving the relationship between mankind and the world,’ comments italian curator francesca alfano miglietti.

for the campana brothers, their main achievement is to show that brazil is not just that of clichés, samba, soccer, and folklore. ‘we have managed to bring the excellence of handcrafts, the brazilian fatto a mano to the italian industry.’ internationally known for their work in the field of design, with important partnerships with renowned brands such as edra, alessi, and louis vuitton, a constant presence at major events and exhibitions of world design and with works in the world’s leading collections and museums, they have opened unprecedented space which seemed closed to brazilian creators.

image by bob wolfenson

exhibition info:

name: campana brothers – 35 revolutions

opening: march 14, 2020 at 3pm
exhibition: march 14 to may 17, 2020
curated by: francesca alfano miglietti
location: rio de janeiro museum of modern art [mam rio]
address: av. infante dom henrique, 85, parque do flamengo, rio de janeiro, cep 20021-140
open days: tuesday to saturday from 10 am to 5 pm
master sponsorship: natura ekos
sponsorship: carpenters workshop gallery, firma casa, friendman benda, giustini/stagetti
support by: fink, tokio marine, divina terra
production: pinakotheke cultural