Makkink and Bey: Brazilians at Pierre Bergé et Associés

(adam štěch) Brazilian design from the second half of the 20th century still remains rather unknown to European audiences. The first breakthrough came when Classicon presented its fresh re-edition of several furniture designs by Sergio Rodriguez. The exhibition Brazil Influence Meets Brazil Style in Pierre Bergé et Associés Gallery in Brussels presents the artistry of perfect wood and leather treatment, which is typical for Brazilian designers, in superb detail.

With this exhibition, splendid examples of Brazilian design that are very often sought after by collectors and auction houses are confronted with contemporary Dutch design. The gallery asked the Makkink and Bey studio, which focuses on conceptual work, to create several variations of the furniture designed by Sergio Rodriguez, Munis and Alexander Zilberberg, as well as some anonymous designers. (By the way, Rianne Makking will give a lecture on the work of the studio at the AAAD in Prague on March 26.) The exhibition also shows designs by Jorge Zalszupin and Carlo Hauner. All these designers rank among the most significant South American designers from the second half of the 20th century. Their furniture pieces have a lot in common. Tropical wood, accurately treated leather, and a somewhat informal interpretation of shapes are the reasons why Brazilian design from the 1950s and 60s forms a homogenous school. At the exhibition, this tropically loosened style meets the even more loosened approach of the Dutch conceptual school, whose prominent representative is Jurgen Bey and his studio. Their interpretations play with the use of the same materials and basic formal solutions. These are, however, shifted into utterly new contexts. Stacked lathes create destroyed or incomplete objects that are intentionally reminiscent of the aesthetics of Brazilian favelas and their endless variability. Thus, five one-off furniture objects were created that find inspiration in the Kilin chair, designed by Rodriguez in 1973. The huge sofa, designed by Munis and Alexandre Zilbeberg, is re-interpreted by Makkink and Bey as a fence. In short, the influence of the Brazilian school of furniture design has joined hands with the compact Dutch creative approach.

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