London 2012: Contemporary Art and Design at Brazil's Olympic House

Somerset House will become Casa Brasil during London 2012

A Brazilian website gave details yesterday of the free contemporary art and design exhibition to be hosted by Somerset House in the Strand when it is transformed into Casa Brasil (Brazil House) later this month for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In Mercado e Eventos, Filipe Cerolim reports that the Somerset House exhibition, which is entitled From the Margin to the Edge: Brazilian Art and Design in the 21st Century, will showcase thirty three contemporary artists and designers from almost every region of Brazil. Curated by the art historian Rafael Cardoso with sets designed by Daniela Thomas and Felipe Tassara, the exhibition will include works by rising stars of the contemporary art scene as well as internationally recognised figures. Almost every art form will be represented, from paintings and photographs to video installations and sculptures.

For a taste of what to expect at Somerset House, see the interviews with two of the artists below:

The full list of artists selected for the exhibition:

Adriana Varejão: Painter. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1964.
Alex Flemming: Photographer, painter, sculptor, engraver, multimedia artist and poet. Born in São Paulo, 1954.
Angelo Venosa: Sculptor. Born in São Paulo, 1954.
Amador Perez: Visual artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1952.
AoLeo (Leonardo Motta Campos): Visual artist, theatre director, set designer, filmmaker and performer. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1983.
Ascânio MMM: Sculptor and painter. Born in Fão, Portugal, 1941.
Berna Reale: Visual artist and photographer. Born in Belém, 1964.
Caio Reisewitz: Photographer. Born in São Paulo, 1967.
Cao Guimarães: Visual artist and filmmaker. Born in Belo Horizonte, 1965.
Claudia Moreira Salles: Furniture designer. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1955.
David Cury: Visual Artist. Born in Teresina, 1963.
Eduardo Coimbra: Photographer and sculptor. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1955.
Emmanuel Nassar: Visual artist. Born in Capanema, 1955.
Gilberto Paim & Elizabeth Fonseca: Ceramists. Born in Rio de Janeiro.
João Penoni: Designer, photographer, videomaker, performer. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1983.
Jum Nakao: Stylist and visual artist. Born in São Paulo, 1966.
Laura Erber: Writer and visual artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1979.
Laura Lima: Visual artist. Born in Governador Valadares, 1971.
Marcone Moreira: Visual artist, sculptor, photographer. Born in Pio XII, 1982.
Marcos Chaves: Visual artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1961.
Maria Laet: Visual artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1982.
Maurício Azeredo: Architect and furniture designer. Born in Macaé, 1948.
Maurício Dias & Walter Riedweg: Video artists. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1964, and Lucerne, Switzerland, 1955.
Nelson Leirner: Visual artist. Born in São Paulo, 1932.
Raul Mourão: Visual artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1967.
Regina Silveira: Visual artist. Born in Porto Alegre, 1939.
Rico Lins: Designer and illustrator. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1955.
Rochelle Costi: Photographer and visual artist. Born in Porto Alegre, 1961.
Rodrigo Braga: Visual artist. Born in Manaus, 1976.
Rodrigo Calixto: Furniture designer. Born in Rio de Janeiro.
Zé Carlos Garcia: Visual artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, 1973.

Filipe Cerolim adds that the exhibition will be organized around three major thematic halls representing not only a physical route but also one of ideas.

From the Margin to the Edge: Brazilian Art and Design in the 21st Century runs from 21 July to 8 September at the Embankment Galleries, South Wing, Somerset House, Strand. The free exhibition will be open to the public from 10am - 7pm (Thursdays 11am - 9pm). The nearest London Underground station is Temple (Circle and District lines).