Sintonia Fina

Exhibition by celebrated Brazilian designer Claudia Moreira Salles premieres exclusive furniture line, as well as the first lighting ever to be made with the rare metal Niobium.

ESPASSO, representing the best of modern and contemporary Brazilian furniture design in the U.S. and U.K., is pleased to announce the opening of “Fine Tuning,” a solo exhibition by Claudia Moreira Salles, one of the most important Brazilian furniture designers working today. The exhibition opens at ESPASSO’S New York gallery on September 13th, 2016 with a special event showcasing the pieces and a welcome by the designer herself.

Among the highlights of “Fine Tuning” is a line of limited edition lamps. Crafted with a rare metal primarily found in Brazil called Niobium, the lamps are the product of a chemical process that achieves distinctive chromatic results. This application of Niobium breaks traditional boundaries. Niobium is traditionally used in aeronautical manufacturing as a reinforcement to steel, and now is the first time it used to make lighting. The process entails wrapping the half-spherical lamp shades in sheets of the malleable metal. The shades are then dipped in a chemical bath to be cured, revealing a fantastic array of colors. Salles stands by the process all along the way, determining the perfect moment to remove the shades from the bath to affix the desired color.

“Fine Tuning” will also exhibit a series of original furniture designed by Salles, and is the result of the long-established collaboration between her studio, esteemed atelier ETEL Interiores and ESPASSO. The new pieces include a walk-through installation of wood and concrete coat hangers, playful magnetic coffee tables, and a reedition of Salles’ popular “Canguru” desk.

“Claudia Moreira Salles’ lighting is truly elegant and delightful to look at; consistent characteristics of all her work. We are honored to be showcasing her new collection, while emphasizing the results of a rare process, which Claudia is pioneering in lighting design.” says ESPASSO’s owner and curator Carlos Junqueira.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1955, Claudia Moreira Salles graduated from Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial in 1978. She first worked at the Industrial Design Institute of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro before moving to São Paulo to work for the Escriba furniture design team. While designing for prominent Brazilian design firm Nanni Movelaria, she established her own studio in 1988, and has been producing her own pieces ever since.

Salles is widely recognized as a celebrated designer in Brazil’s furniture world. Her work has also been featured in Brazil’s leading cultural centers, including Paralelogramos at the Baró Gallery, the Museu da Casa Brasileira in São Paulo, Paço Imperial and Casa França Brasil in Rio de Janeiro. Her most recently published book is available at the MoMA bookstore. This exhibit will also be the launch of a new book featuring Salles’ “Fine Tuning” Lamp series, published by BEI.

“Standby” coat hangers, 2016. Photo: Andres Otero
The exhibition’s name “Fine Tuning” embodies Salles’ process. Through methodical iteration and “tuning,” Salles reveals the natural beauty found in an industrial process. Complementing the delicate nature of Niobium, concrete pieces become light and warm wood and copper details highlight multichromatic shades. The contrasts in her material decisions accentuate the careful curation necessary to create the balance and overall unity which define the exhibition.

ABOUT ESPASSO
ESPASSO is the premier design gallery in the US and UK for modern and contemporary Brazilian furniture, art and design objects. Opened in New York in 2002, London, United Kingdom in 2012, Miami in 2016 and Los Angeles in 2016 by Sao Paulo native Carlos Junqueira, ESPASSO is committed to conserving Brazil's rich 20th Century design heritage, presenting works by mid-century masters and discovering today's emerging designers. The gallery regularly presents a highly curated selection of pieces that are often unavailable outside of Brazil or made exclusively for ESPASSO. Through its unique relationships with some of the best Brazilian architects and designers it has created a shop-in-shop for Sergio Rodrigues, presented the first solo US exhibitions by Isay Weinfeld, Carlos Motta and Claudia Moreira Salles and showcased works by mid-century masters Joaquim Tenreiro, Jose Zanine Caldas, Branco & Preto and Gregory Warchavchic, in addition to contemporary designers Etel Carmona, Arthur Casas and Zanini de Zanine. Please visit www.espasso.com for information about its latest exhibitions.