May 4, 2004

{ Brasil Inspired }

Curated by Brazillian native Nando Costa of Hungryfordesign renown, Brasil Inspired is a collection of images bound into book format with the idea of "Brazil" as it's theme. While that may sound a bit pedestrian at first, this is no postcard collection from grandma's trip to Rio- it's an exploration of stereotypes, initial impressions, and cultural assumptions as well as honest, real, and true-to-the-land visions of this country. The book features designers including MK12, Rinzen, Speto, Francios Chalet, Carlos Bela and B�ro Destruct, along with others, all contributing fresh and original works ranging from street art to hard design. It also contains work and interviews with designers Clarissa Tossin, f�mur, Linn Olofsdotter Costa, Lobo and Tonho/Quinta-Feira, all who work and/or live in Brazil. The interviews illuminate not only the country's influence on these artist's work, but the impact that Brazil carries into their daily lives. Some of the work is gritty and gives you a real sense of being there, while other works are a bit fanciful and wander into abstractions barely contained by the theme. You can find sexy Brazil, sweaty Brazil, soccer Brazil and even a little Sepultura Brazil. My initial concern, that having never been to South America I would be hard pressed to find the work relevant, was immediately overcome. The theme finds expression in so many forms that each page becomes a journey to Brazil through someone else's eyes, through their preconceptions or their hard-won truths, and the question of locality is forgotten along the way. The book is published by Die-Gestalten Verlag, and is internationally available for $35 US.

     » Visit the Brasil Inspired website to see sample pages
     » Purchase Brasil Inspired from Giant Robot Store
     » Visit Hungryfordesign.com
     » Visit Die-Gestalten.com

By Adam in Art | Comments: