More than 60 Brazilian design objects are currently on display within the striking, futuristic architecture of Oscar Niemeyer's Museum of Contemporary Art in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, as part of a special weekend exhibition. The free exhibition, titled "Then and Now: Brazilian Legacy," presents a compelling intergenerational dialogue between modernist pioneers and contemporary Brazilian designers, offering visitors a unique opportunity to witness the evolution of Brazilian design culture.
Organized by Galerie Philia, an international design and contemporary art platform, "Then and Now" provides a moment for reflection on the continuity of cultural expression amid vast societal and environmental changes. According to curator Ygaël Attali, "The context has shifted from utopian optimism to ecological urgency, but the conviction that design can shape how we inhabit the world endures." Together, these works exemplify the remarkable breadth of Brazilian design, ranging from intimate and sculptural pieces to monumental and poetic creations.
The exhibition features an impressive array of pieces from both established modernist masters and emerging contemporary talents. Early modernists like Lina Bo Bardi, José Zanine Caldas, Joaquim Tenreiro, and Jorge Zalszupin used design as a tool to carve out a new national vision for Brazil. Their contemporary successors, including designers from Aver, Dimitrih Correa, Hanna Englund, and Alexia Vela Akasaka, are driven by different motivations, focusing primarily on sustainability, innovative material research, and the complex nature of modern identity.
Despite the generational differences, Attali notes that many shared qualities unite these diverse bodies of work. "What unites them is an ethic of material intimacy and craft," he explains. "Whether it is Tenreiro working with native woods, Zanine Caldas carving salvaged trunks, or Hugo França reclaiming monumental fallen trees today, there is a deep respect for the expressive potential of material." This reverence for materials and craftsmanship runs as a common thread throughout Brazilian design history.
The featured contemporary designers engage with the modernist legacy not through imitation, but by thoughtfully reframing historical influences for modern contexts. For instance, Gabriela Campos names her furniture pieces after renowned artists Calder and Mondrian, while Estúdio Orth pays homage to Brutalism through sculptural cast brass pieces. Meanwhile, Maximiliano Crovato draws inspiration from art deco and Italian maximalism, demonstrating how contemporary designers creatively interpret past movements.
The choice of venue proves particularly significant for the exhibition's impact and meaning. Attali emphasized the importance of staging the exhibition within what he calls "a manifesto of modernism." Niemeyer's circular galleries at MAC Niterói create a natural rhythm that lends itself perfectly to dialogue between different eras of design. "We opted for interweaving modern and contemporary works rather than separating them, so that resonances and dissonances could be felt," Attali explains, allowing visitors to experience the conversation between past and present organically.
The exhibition's deliberately short weekend run adds another layer of urgency and significance to the experience. "It becomes an event, a moment not to be missed, rather than a show one can always postpone visiting," says Attali. This temporal urgency heightens the dialogue between past and present, creating what the curator describes as "a temporary constellation that lives only in memory once it closes." The ephemeral nature of the exhibition mirrors the ongoing evolution of Brazilian design itself, capturing a specific moment in time while honoring the continuous thread of creativity that connects generations of Brazilian designers.
