Zanini de Zanine
Oct 31, 2009
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Last weekend we had family in town, so we started the festivities with a night out in Hollywood. Before dinner, we went to NOHO Modern in Hollywood, where we were treated to opening night for the Brazilian artist Zanini de Zanine. The setting was stunning; Zanine's work, breathtaking and unforgettable.
Zanini learned his trade as a furniture designer from his father, a famous Brazilian architect, and honed those skills at the Pontifica Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, where he currently lives. His pieces are spectacular: like the trees that inhabited his country's Amazon for centuries, his pieces will endure and prove timeless, much like the designs of many furniture designers from Brazil.Zanini only uses reclaimed wood. Most of the wood is Ipê and Pequi, coveted worldwide because of their deep color and exotic shine. Ipê trees reach heights of up to 50 meters and boast beautiful yellow flowers; Pequis average about 10 meters and their orange fruit is eaten in Minas Gerais and other interior states. While some of the wood is from salvaged from areas of the rain forest that had been cleared, much of it comes from former building materials such as beams and other housing construction materials.
Personally, my favorite piece was Mapa Mesa, a graceful table, sliced from a reclaimed Ipê trunk that looked as if it were barely touched by human hands. I also found myself enchanted with Sofa Curva, a 97 inch long bench Zanini constructed from reclaimed Ipê. Finally, there was the army of Solid Beam Bar Stools, which one could barely budge.Brazilian furniture in general reflects its culture: progressive yet mindful of its (often troubled) past, retro yet forward thinking, and well, like the people, just plain gorgeous. You can picture the furniture at a futuristic government building in Brasilia, in a cabana at a beach resort like Buzios, or for those of us that love to dream, in your living room. Brazilian furniture designers define mid-century architecture at its most innovative moments. Artists such as Sergio Rodrigues and Joaquim Tenreiro are often imitated and have seen their work replicated all over the world. Many of Zanini's creations are so unique that duplicating them will be impossible: but I can see his bar stools, benches, and credenzas catching on . . . which would be wonderful.
Zanine's work will be at NOHO Modern's Santa Monica Blvd location in Hollywood until December 18th. Do drop by if you're near that area!
