Brazilian art and design comes to London’s Somerset House

 Pictured, a ceramic work by Gilberto Paim & Elizabeth Fonseca
(Image credit: Gilberto Paim & Elizabeth Fonseca)

With our London hometown playing host to the world next week, one of the delegations we'll be keeping our eyes on are the Brazilians. Besides the fact that we'll be handing over the Olympic mantle to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games, we're also feeling pumped about the Brazilian Olympic Committee exhibition of contemporary art and design, currently on show at Somerset House.

'From the Margin to the Edge' pulls together the brightest established and emerging talents across Brazil's different regions to provide a colourful cultural snapshot of its burgeoning art scene. Spanning the realms of photography, painting, video, sculpture and installation, all the work on view has been made in the last decade to prove just how culturally vibrant the country is.

Staged at Somerset House's Embankment Galleries and curated by art historian Rafael Cardoso, the exhibition presents the works of 33 artists and designers, including the structural wooden furniture pieces of Claudia Moreira Salles, the op-art installations of Regina Silveira and the refined art ceramics of Gilberto Paim and Elizabeth Fonseca, who first caught our eye two years when we visited Rio de Janeiro for our Born in Brazil issue.

'There is growing interest in- and a renewed respect for- Brazilian art and design on the international stage,' says Cardoso. 'We have a dynamic art scene in Brazil, which dares to take risks, producing interesting work on the cutting edge.'

Work by Emmanuel Nassar

(Image credit: TBC)

Work by Ascanio MMM

Work by Ascanio MMM

(Image credit: TBC)

Work by Marcos Chaves Arquipelago

Work by Marcos Chaves Arquipelago


(Image credit: TBC)

Work by Amador Perez

Work by Amador Perez

(Image credit: TBC)

Work by Cao Guimaraes Gambiarras

Work by Cao Guimaraes Gambiarras

(Image credit: TBC)

Chair by Claudia Moreira Salles

Chair by Claudia Moreira Salles

(Image credit: TBC)

Stool by Rodrigo Calixto

Stool by Rodrigo Calixto

(Image credit: TBC)

Work by Rochelle Costi

Work by Rochelle Costi

(Image credit: TBC)

Work by Maria Laet

Work by Maria Laet

(Image credit: TBC)

Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.