Estúdio Campana: On the Road

Humberto Campana’s new solo show On the Road, which opened at Friedman Benda this week, marks a turning point in the life and career of the 71-year-old Brazilian designer.  Much has happened to us all since the pandemic began, but to him, it is the experience of loss and spirituality, which he captured in this show. This also marks the 40^th anniversary of the São Paulo-based studio, founded in 1984 by Humberto and his brother Fernando (1961-2022).

The two made a name for their studio through new and daring concepts of design inspired by materials and local traditional crafts, while also presenting design that is imbued with the stories of their life experience as Brazilians. The studio has undergone a tremendous evolution since the two first began to transform found objects and everyday inexpensive things such as ropes and toys into unique objects of narrative and craftsmanship. They have since entered the pantheon of contemporary design as the leading ambassadors of Brazilian culture, and become widely influential in design culture, introducing the world to the reality of life in their country.  

It is with a sense of nostalgia, connection, and grief over the death of his brother and partner that this show brings back many of the foundations that had led the Campana Brothers in the early days of their careers. It is the first exhibition in which Humberto is the sole designer, and the connection to his Brazilian identity couldn’t be stronger. In recent years, he has devoted much of his efforts to restoring forests and to creating a public park in his hometown of Brotas, which will open in June of 2024.

Everything is made with the most basic handmade methods while using only sustainable materials that are locally available and newly introduced. In the pieces in this show, Campana uses scraps of aluminum that are leftovers from a local workshop, welded together into an ornate and exuberant mass that looks almost a baroque sculpture. Some other materials he uses includes adobe, a composite of earth and clay mixed with water and straw, local leather, blown glass, certified local Jequitibá wood, and Capim Dourado (a local gold colored grass species) woven into cirbular elements which are then inserted in the furniture.  All these materials and the folk crafts are new to most of us, particularly in the context sophisticated contemporary design. What I find most inspiring about Estudio Campana’s work is the introduction of new and fresh materials and methods, which they religiously display at every new show. Those materials, processes, and methods of handcraftsmanship result in new forms, and while at first they look like nothing you have seen before, very quickly, they become popular. “We learn from materials,” Campana announces when defining his mantra. “They tell what forms they should take.” In other words, materials are the Campana’s ‘style.’

This exhibition proves, again, that the contribution of Estudio Campana to the narrative of contemporary design, and the values and connecting to their heritage prove stronger than ever. The exhibition will be open through April 20th.

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