Exhibition

The first edition of ABERTO in 2022 took place in the only private residence in São Paulo designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Organized with the support of the Fundação Oscar Niemeyer, the exhibition, which included furniture designed by the legendary Brazilian architect and his daughter, Anna Maria, was a huge critical success. In 2023, the second edition of ABERTO took place in a residence designed by Villanova Artigas, a leading figure of the famous Paulista school. One of the highlights of the exhibition was a bookcase designed by Artigas for his daughter Rosa, combining historical influence and modern design and incorporating all his architectural principles. The third part of the project in 2024 paid tribute to the architectural and artistic work of two extraordinary Brazilian-Asian creators, Tomie Ohtake and Chu Ming Silveira, allowing the public to discover their modernist villas for the first time.

Filipe Assis, born in São Paulo in 1987, is an art advisor and the founder of ABERTO. Splitting his time between London and São Paulo, he is dedicated to promoting Brazilian art and design internationally. Assis holds a master’s degree from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London and an MBA from SDA Bocconi in Milan. He is a patron of the Tate Modern and the Serpentine Gallery, highlighting his significant role in the global art community. With a background in finance and real estate, including nine years at the luxury real estate firm JHSF, and experience managing funds at Itaú Bank and Generali Real Estate, Assis brings a unique business perspective to the art world. Since founding ABERTO, he has worked closely with renowned curators Kiki Mazzucchelli and Claudia Moreira Salles to establish it as a leading platform for Brazilian arts, integrating his business acumen with his passion for art.

“We’re delighted to bring ABERTO’s distinct curatorial approach to France and feel honoured to represent our country’s rich cultural heritage in the legendary Maison La Roche. Rarely has one person left such an indelible mark on a country as Le Corbusier has on Brazil which ranges from the modernist architecture that surround our daily lives to the exciting new creations by young artists today. It therefore made perfect sense to launch our first international project in one of Le Corbusier’s most emblematic buildings in France. A skilled visual artist, writer, and social thinker, his varied practice reflects ABERTO’s own interdisciplinary ethos.”

Kiki Mazzucchelli, born in São Paulo in 1972, has been an active curator since the early 2000s. In recent years, her research has been dedicated to expanding and enriching art historical narratives, particularly focusing on Latin American artists. She has authored and edited numerous publications spotlighting Latin American art, including the monographs of Tonico Lemos Auad (Koenig, 2018) and Marcelo Cidade (Cobogó, 2016). Mazzucchelli is also known for her roles as co-founder of the independent space Kupfer in London (2017) and the residency for Brazilian artists at Gasworks, also in London (2017). Since the beginning of 2022, she has served as the artistic director of Galeria Luisa Strina, further solidifying her commitment to promoting contemporary art and artists.

“For its first international edition, ABERTO focuses on one the most fertile exchanges in the history of architecture and its impact on Brazilian art, architecture and design. While Le Corbusier’s direct influence on a new generation of modernist architects in the second half of the 20^th Century is clear, ABERTO4 draws a parallel between the popularization of the international style and the birth of geometric abstraction in the country. By bringing contemporary artists who created commissioned works in response to Le Corbusier’s legacy in different fields, the exhibition examines his lasting impact on the present.”

Claudia Moreira Salles, a distinguished designer, graduated from the Superior School of Industrial Design in Rio de Janeiro in 1978. Her career began at the Industrial Design Institute of the Museum of Modern Art in Rio, where she worked on a furniture project for public schools. Relocating to São Paulo, Salles joined the design team at Escriba, a furniture factory, pursuing more authorial projects and immersing herself in woodworking and craftsmanship. Her initial pieces were marketed by Nanni Movelaria, a trailblazer in promoting independent designers during the 1980s. In the 1990s, Salles crossed paths with Etel Carmona, who had established a factory dedicated to reviving traditional woodworking techniques. Together, they explored the simple yet rich language of standard furniture design, focusing on native woods. Over time, Salles expanded her collaborations to include brands like Firma Casa and Dpot, diversifying her practice to encompass objects and lamps for various clients. Internationally, she is represented by Galeria Espasso in New York, Miami, and London, as well as by ETEL in Milan.

“An essential element in Le Corbusier’s architecture, especially in the Maison La Roche, is the color palette he used not decoratively but to accentuate the perception of spaces. The commissioned or chosen works were selected with consideration of the chromatic dialogue, not to match, but to enhance the expression of each environment”