Bottega Veneta launches 'The Square' in São Paulo

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
May 25, 2023

Bottega Veneta launched on Wednesday a unique artistic program at Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro (Glass House) in São Paulo, celebrating Brazilian culture. 

The activation marks the latest in the brand’s cultural exchange series, 'The Square'. Under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy, the series brings together artists, guests, and the public in immersive, site-specific events that inspire curiosity and dialogue, and champion Bottega Veneta values. It was first introduced in Dubai in 2022, followed by a second installment in Tokyo.

As part of Bottega Veneta’s 10-year anniversary in Brazil, 'The Square São Paulo' introduces an 11-day program, where artists and artworks from across Brazil will come together to honor the legacy of Italian-born Bo Bardi, explore her interaction with Brazilian culture, and celebrate Brazilian creativity in all its forms.

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Bo Bardi is one of the most important and expressive figures in Brazilian modernism. Casa de Vidro was her first built project and personal residence until her death in 1992. Since its completion in 1951, the house has been a meeting point for artists, architects, and intellectuals.

“Casa de Vidro is one of my favorite places," said Blazy. “It’s a real inspiration to meet here with artists from across generations, across disciplines, and across Brazil to celebrate Lina Bo Bardi’s legacy and the richness of Brazilian culture. Bottega Veneta is all about timeless style. With The Square São Paulo, we recognize how Lina’s ideas and aesthetics resonate to this day, always reminding us of the transformative power of design and culture.” 

The event is curated around four themed pathways related to time, geometry and spirituality, Brazilian counterculture, and the roots of Bossa Nova. 

"From the modernist project to her embrace of the power of Brazilian popular culture and collaboration with the counterculture, Lina challenged norms and developed ideas that crossed chronological time like arrows and are, today, an essential perspective of Brazilian identity,” added curator Mari Stockler. 

“With The Square São Paulo, we dive into her revolutionary thinking. The event is designed as a dialogue. We provoke time by contrasting Lina’s objects with works by modern and contemporary artists in an exchange between past, present, and possible futures.” 

The Square São Paulo opens on Wednesday and will be open to the public from May 27 to June 3.