The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), in partnership with the Consulate General of Brazil in Milan, reserved the prestigious Museo della Permanente, a 2,000 m² space that will receive more than 30 Brazilian companies and designers between April 8 and 14. The venue, a privileged location in Milan, will offer an immersive experience of Brazil to visitors and show the most modern creations of our design, especially on furniture.

Visitors arriving at the Brazil: Essentially Diverse exhibition will embark on an immersive sensory journey, inspired by a set of contemporary Brazilian design and handcraft. For the first time,
Apex-Brasil has a curatorship for the venue. The intention, explains the president of Apex-Brasil, Mario Vilalva, is to develop a narrative that “ties together” the works – among themselves and with the exhibition spaces, – in order to tell a story about the current scenario. “I believe this year’s project will be a turning point in our presence at the Milan Design Week, which is one of the world’s leading events in design, furniture, and decoration”, says Vilalva.

Curatorship

Gathered by a narrative that offers sensory experiences intertwined by indigenous, African and European ancestral influences, the Brazil: Essentially Diverse exhibition is an expression of the uniqueness of Brazilian material culture, which focuses on its origins and transforming power. Covering the two floors and 2,000 m² of the Museo della Permanente, visitors will be taken on a sensory journey through four distinct zones: “essentially diverse”, “essentially innovative”, “essentially sustainable”, and “essentially creative”. In each area, Brazil’s diverse origins and transforming power interact with visitors through a blend of stimuli and influences that will creatively involve each of the five senses. This unique exhibition of Brazilian design will certainly reach out to its audience.

Visitors will literally be touched in their first contact with the exhibition, which invites them to feel the textures of the works on display. Creative lighting, a distinct placement and ambiance techniques will allow visitors to see that new possibilities are just a matter of perspective. The engagement with artisan works explores the relationship between man and nature, diving into a tropical atmosphere where varied scents and temperatures recreate Brazil’s tropical forest.

The narrative and curatorship of all content were the responsibility of design specialist Joice Joppert Leal, founder and executive director of Objeto Brasil. The final selection of companies and designers involved two rounds: a technical score given by Apex-Brasil (which took into account features such as product innovation, exports–in general and to Italy, having a website and material in English, among others), added to the curator’s score.

The Brazilian space in Milan is organized by Apex-Brasil and counts on the partnership of the Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis), the Brazilian Association of the Lighting Industry (Abilux), the Brazilian Furniture Industry Association (Abimóveis), the Brazilian Dimension Stone Industry Association (Abirochas), the Brazilian Association of Manufacturers of Ceramic Tiles (Anfacer), as well as support from the Brazilian Association of Utilities and Gifts (ABUP) and Casa Vogue magazine.