Founded by Filipe Assis, Aberto is an innovative exhibition platform that celebrates Brazilian art and design within modernist homes and monuments designed by prominent architects. A patron of the Tate Modern and Serpentine Gallery as well as an art consultant, Assis explains: “Aberto has its roots in the iconic Modern Art Week of 1922, a milestone that brought together Brazilian artists, architects, and writers, and laid the foundation for creative intersection between the various disciplines. This event inspired our continued desire to explore Brazilian modernism and its relevance in contemporary culture where art, design, and modern architecture merge.”
The concept is to showcase art and design products in extraordinary and little-known locations. While the first edition in 2022 took place inside Oscar Niemeyer’s only private residence in São Paulo and the second in a house by architect Villanova Artigas, a leading figure in the Paulista School of Architecture, Aberto/03 will be held in two brutalist houses from the 1970s. The fourth edition, in 2025, is scheduled to take place in Paris. The two current locations are The Atelier House of Tomie Ohtake, designed in 1968 by the Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake in the Campo Belo district for his mother, the famous artist from Kyoto, Japan (Rua Antonio de Macedo Soares, 1.800 Campo Belo); and The Houses – Residence of Chu Ming Silveira, designed by the visionary Chinese-Brazilian architect in the Morumbi district (Rua República Dominicana, 327, Real Parque).
At the Atelier House, Paulo Miyada, curator of the Tomie Ohtake Institute, has organized an exhibition on the life and work of Tomie with personal objects, archival materials, and works of art, as well as an exhibition of works by contemporary Brazilian artists that resonate with the architectural style of Ruy Ohtake. Among others, Rodrigo Ohtake, Tomie’s grandson, presents a special limited edition of pieces curated by Etel Gallery, and new works by rising stars of Brazilian art Antonio Tarsis, Sophia Loeb and Yuli Yamagata alongside works by established artists including Ana Prata, Luiz Zerbini and Alexandre da Cunha who will present his Ikebana sculptures. There will also be a super 8 film by Luiz Roque about the architect Ruy Ohtake, produced over the years.
