On view starting September 13, the exhibition "Creation of Worlds" traces Zanine Caldas's production through furniture, models, and projects
Submitted at Sep 10, 2026, 2:00 PM
Zanine Caldas, Joatinga, Rio de Janeiro, 1968, foto José Medeiros, acervo Déa Zanine (José Medeiros/Divulgação)
The trajectory of Zanine Caldas will be revisited in a new exhibition at the Tomie Ohtake House-Studio, in Campo Belo, São Paulo. On display from September 13 to November 7, 2026, Zanine Caldas – Creation of Worlds brings together furniture, models, drawings, architectural projects, photographs, films, documents and other records that traverse different moments in the production of the self-taught architect, designer, model maker and teacher.
Zanine Caldas em rocha do Morro da Joatinga (Rio de Janeiro, década de 1970), foto José Medeiros, acervo Déa Zanine (José Medeiros/Divulgação)
Curated by Sabrina Fontenele with assistance from Lahayda Mamani Poma, the show continues the new phase of Tomie Ohtake's former residence and proposes a broad reading of Zanine's work. Divided into four sections — Root, Trunk, Shelter and Horizon —, the tour highlights the relationships he established between architecture, design, craftsmanship, education and environmental preservation.
The training of José Zanine Caldas (1919–2001) was directly linked to practical experience, observation and contact with different ways of working with matter. Born in Belmonte, Bahia, he became acquainted at a young age with construction processes and wood, while encounters with names such as Lucio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer, Lina Bo Bardi, Vilanova Artigas, Joaquim Tenreiro and Sergio Rodrigues helped broaden this repertoire. This journey appears in Root, the first section of the exhibition.
Casa dos Triângulos, Nova Viçosa, BA, década de 70 (Zanine Caldas/Divulgação)
In Trunk, wood takes center stage. In the 1940s, Zanine researched ways to reduce plywood waste in furniture manufacturing, an experience that would unfold at Móveis Artísticos Z. Decades later, he began reusing demolition materials, roots and large trunks discarded or burned by the timber industry, giving rise to the so-called denunciation furniture, associated with a reflection on the destruction of Brazilian forests.
Casa Antônio Cruz, Joatinga, Rio de Janeiro, 2018 (André Nazareth/Divulgação)
Residential architecture is highlighted in Shelter, a section that reveals a design approach guided by the characteristics of the terrain, the available materials and the knowledge of craftsmen, carpenters and other workers. Models and prototypes played a central role in this process, functioning both as instruments of representation and of testing and constructive investigation.
Casa Bettiol, Brasília, 2019 (André Nazareth/Divulgação)
Finally, Horizon presents Zanine's work as an educator and his understanding of architecture as an instrument of social transformation. Documents and records of experiences at FAU-USP, at the University of Brasília and at the Center for the Development of Wood Applications in Brazil show how teaching, constructive research and environmental issues also crossed his trajectory.
The realization of Creation of Worldsat the Tomie Ohtake House-Studio adds a particular layer to the exhibition. It was in this space that Tomie worked, welcomed artists, architects and other interlocutors, and developed an important part of her trajectory, making the house a place of creation, coexistence and experimentation.
Casa-ateliê de Tomie Ohtake - Projeto de Ruy Ohtake e Adolfo Sato. (Ohtake/Divulgação)
Without seeking formal similarities between the works of Tomie and Zanine, the exhibition highlights points of contact between their paths, especially in the importance given to experience, materials and the act of making itself. In this encounter, the house-studio reinforces its vocation as a space for dialogue between architecture, design, art and memory.
In addition to the exhibition, the program includes guided tours, talks and a workshop dedicated to the trajectory and legacy of Zanine Caldas.
Guided tours — on Saturdays and Sundays, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., with no prior registration required.
September 19, at 3 p.m. — Between technique and invention Conversation with Maria Cecília Loschiavo dos Santos and Conrado Vivacqua Raymundo dos Santos, moderated by Lahayda Mamani Poma.
September 26, at 3 p.m. — Living matter: between art and architecture Panel with Talles Lopes and Laura Cosendey, moderated by Amanda Sammour.
October 24, at 11 a.m. — Workshop with the educational team Activity led by the exhibition's educational team.
October 24, at 3 p.m. — Designing worlds, creating worlds Conversation with Pedro Alban, Ligia Zilbersztejn and Rodrigo Ohtake, moderated by Sabrina Fontenele.
November 7, at 3 p.m. — Zanine on the contemporary scale Meeting with Amanda Carvalho and Sabrina Fontenele, moderated by Amanda Sammour, on the permanence and developments of Zanine's work in the present.
Where: Tomie Ohtake House-Studio (Rua Antônio de Macedo Soares, 1800 – Campo Belo)
When: September 13 to November 7, 2026 (last entry at 4 p.m.)
Opening hours: Thursday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ticket: R$ 50.00
Half-price ticket: students, people aged 60 or over, and teachers; Nubank clients.
Free admission: Tomie Friends; Nubank Ultravioleta clients; children aged 10 or under; and ICOM cardholders. Free admissions and courtesies must be requested through the ticketing platform.
Box office link: https://casa-atelie-tomieohtake.byinti.com/#/event/bilheteria-casa-atelie-tomie-ohtake-2
