ABOUT CAMPANA STUDIO
The disobedient gaze in search of the singular Brazil
O Estúdio Campana opened its doors in São Paulo in 1984. Co-founded by Fernando (1961-2022) and Humberto Campana (1953), the studio's purpose was to be a laboratory for materials and experimentation through the creation and production of objects, seeking a genuine language that would showcase the best of Brazil with dignity and pride in our roots. Considered a pioneer of disruptive design, it gained international recognition for its furniture design and intriguing pieces, establishing a unique and innovative language.
In the work of Campana, freedom and materiality come together to produce the unexpected and surprising, the surreal and the irreverent. Mundane materials and ready-made objects coexist side by side with the essence of their nature, bringing out their maximum potential, a hidden quality that receives a second skin, revealing a new DNA.
The brothers' disobedient gaze becomes inspiration for a communication in permanent movement and transformation, always rooted in the search for an authentically Brazilian language. By incorporating the idea of transformation and reinvention, their creative process elevates everyday materials to nobility.
Brazilian characteristics – such as the abundance of colors, mixtures and creative chaos – bring the triumph of simple solutions, poetically.
the DNA Campana
CAMPANA INSPIRATION
Inspiration from living nature, plural culture, the Brazilian way of creating solutions through addition, mixing, and improvisation. Our origins, which gave us references, and our experiences, which gave us a unique way of seeing the world.
EXPLORATION & TRANSFORMATION OF MATERIALS
Our raw materials are unlikely, simple and banal materials, in which we see the potential for transformation. There are no boundaries to the types of materials we use, but all of them are experimented with and taken to their limits, to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
CREATIVE FREEDOM
The genuine and challenging look and the constant search for originality. We have no borders and do not set fixed limits for our work. We allow ourselves to be inspired, to investigate, to explore, to test and learn to always go further.
HUMANITY
We value the handmade aspect, which is why our pieces are never the same as another. The richness of our work lies in its uniqueness, its exclusivity, its irreplicability. In our processes, we value the exchange of expertise and techniques, which always lead us to a shared creation that carries the soul of its creators.
SUSTAINABLE CYCLE
We believe in sustainable creations. In our pieces and works, we connect with nature and explore its limits so that it becomes a cyclical and inexhaustible source of inspiration. In our processes, we seek to inspire and stimulate people by presenting manual work as a source of social transformation.
“The most important thing for us was to show Brazil with dignity.”
Humberto Campana
GALLERIES & COLLECTIBLE DESIGN
O Estúdio Campana is represented by national and international galleries that highlight collectible design as an important aspect in the appreciation of limited edition and exclusive design pieces. They are:
Aequo
Mumbai, India
Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Paris, France; London, UK; New York & Los Angeles, USA
House Firm
São Paulo, Brazil
Friedmand Benda
New York & Los Angeles, USA
Luciana Brito Gallery
São Paulo, Brazil
TIMELINE
1950-60
THE CAMPANA’S EXPLORING CHILDHOOD
THE CAMPANA’S EXPLORING CHILDHOOD
1953 – Humberto is born Campana in Rio Claro
1961 – Fernando is born Campana, in Brotas
Children of a family of Italian descent, the Brothers Campana They grew up in Brotas, SP, raised by their father, an agronomist, and their mother, a teacher. In addition to living in the daily life of a rural town, Fernando and Humberto frequented the only cinema, the Cine São José. The cinema screen was their window to the world, and a source of inspiration for recreating scenes with simple objects and materials that were at hand.
“Humberto always wanted to be an Indian, he went to school barefoot, he built houses in the trees. I wanted to be an astronaut, I loved Kubrick’s films.”
Fernando Campana
1970
Humberto studies Law at USP in São Paulo
Fernando studies Architecture at the Faculty of Fine Arts in São Paulo
Humberto on a trip along the Colorado River
1980
BEGINNING AND DECONSTRUCTION OF DESIGN
Experimentation, freedom and disruption.
1989
Positive & Negative
Fernando and Humberto at the opening of the exhibition "Desconfortáveis" in 1989
1990
FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY
Spontaneity, audacity and discovery.
2000-10
NO BOUNDARIES
Diversity, excellence, beauty and collaboration.
2010-20
MUCH MORE THAN DESIGN
Expressiveness, credibility and respect.
2020-30
FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY
Future, responsibility and awareness.
LEGACY WITH AN EYE ON THE FUTURE
O Park Campana, located in Brotas, synthesizes all the pillars of DNA Campana on a larger scale. Under development since 2020, the park aims to provide a space for nature regeneration, preservation and education.
The area is a mix of savannah, Atlantic Forest and areas that were used for cattle ranching and coffee plantations, the latter of which need to be regenerated. Therefore, the expectation is that in five years the trees will grow and the animals will inhabit the park.
