With a career marked by different styles at CASACOR Bahia, Marlon Gama shares behind-the-scenes details of the project dedicated to Vik Muniz in the 2026 edition
Submitted at Oct 15, 2026, 6:00 PM
Marlon Gama (Renata Marques/CASACOR)
With more than two decades of career, Marlon Gama has built a trajectory marked by the freedom to combine references and by attention to the particularities of each project. A recurring presence at CASACOR Bahia, the architect moves between contemporary languages, pieces from other eras, and diverse styles, without being tied to a single aesthetic formula.
Marlon Gama Arquitetura - Marlon Gama = Vik Muniz +55DESIGN. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)
In the 2026 edition, this repertoire found a new starting point in the partnership with 55Design and in the tribute to the visual artist Vik Muniz. Across 100 m², the project brought together signature furniture, works of art, and objects from the artist's personal collection, in a composition traversed by nature, literature, and affective memory.
Marlon Gama Arquitetura - Marlon Gama = Vik Muniz +55DESIGN. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)
More than presenting a selection of pieces, the project also made space for interaction — a dimension that has been taking on an increasingly important place in the way Marlon thinks about CASACOR. In an interview, he tells how the partnership was born and revisits the experiences that transformed his relationship with the show over the years.
Marlon Gama's participation in CASACOR Bahia 2026 began with an invitation from 55Design. In the first conversations with the brand, the architect identified in the furniture collection developed in partnership with Vik Muniz a "perfect match" with his own references for the edition.
Marlon Gama Arquitetura - Marlon Gama = Vik Muniz +55DESIGN. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2026. (Denilson Machado, do MCA Estúdio/CASACOR)
"Vik Muniz is an artist who brings exactly what 55Design is and, at the same time, translates everything I wanted for my space at CASACOR: Brazilianness, tropicality, and naturalness. When I found this ecologically conscious company and an artist who was also participating in it in a playful way, I was very excited," he tells CASACOR.
The affinity with the universe of the artist and the brand was the starting point for the composition of the projects. But there was another important intention: to preserve a characteristic that Marlon seeks to imprint on his projects at CASACOR, openness to the public. Talks, lectures, and spontaneous conversations were part of the experience, keeping the space available for exchange among visitors.
The tribute also marked the beginning of a friendship between Marlon Gama and Vik Muniz. Although they shared mutual friends, the two deepened their relationship during the development of the projects. "It was a really nice exchange, he was very accessible," he recalls.
The artist opened the doors of his home so that the architect could select items from his personal collection. Works of art, books, and sets of stones collected by Vik Muniz became part of the space, adding to the composition references that were part of his own story.
The presence of these objects gave another dimension to the tribute: beyond the furniture developed for the brand, the projects incorporated elements that revealed the artist's interests and memories. "He opened his house for me to take absolutely anything I wanted, with no limits of size or importance," he adds.
Marlon Gama's dozens of participations in CASACOR, especially in Bahia and also in São Paulo, have followed important changes in his way of designing. The architect identifies in the last three years a special transformation: the desire to create projects that were not only observed, but experienced by the public.
In 2025, this intention materialized in an unconventional way at the Origens Deca project, which even hosted a yoga class. The experience exemplifies how the proposals presented at the show can open space for uses and encounters that go beyond the mere contemplation of the projects.
Marlon Gama Arquitetura - Raízes Líquidas – Espaço Deca. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2025. (Denilson Machado/CASACOR)
"Before, people used to say: this is CASACOR, this doesn't work, it's only beauty. So, I believe my great professional evolution is this – showing that what we are designing there also fits into their lives", he points out.
This change of perspective also manifests itself in the attention to detail. For Marlon, the visitor's journey matters as much as the final composition: the discoveries distributed throughout the project, the sensory stimuli and the small surprises participate in the way each person relates to the space.
Marlon Gama Arquitetura - Casa Dell Anno. Projeto da CASACOR Bahia 2024. (Tarso Figueira/CASACOR)
In this sense, CASACOR offers a particular freedom. Far from the specific demands of a residential project, the architect finds in the show an opportunity to experiment. "We usually say that CASACOR is our project, not the client's. You do the things you would do in your own home, you dare more".
At the helm of an office he defines as "very eclectic", Marlon Gama is not tied to a single aesthetic language. His creative process starts from the preferences and needs of each client, allowing the projects to take on distinct identities.
A memory from his career illustrates this way of thinking. Upon getting to know his portfolio, potential Portuguese clients interested in hiring him for a condominium were surprised by the diversity of styles among the projects. "They wanted to hire us to do a condominium in Portugal and asked: 'why are your projects so different from each other?'. I laughed and replied: 'because my clients are all different from each other'".
This closeness also guides the structure of his office, which he intends to keep lean to preserve the direct contact with clients, from the briefing to the choice of the color palette. "I have a boutique office and I don't want it to be a giant office, this way I'm the one who gives attention to my client", he concludes regarding future plans.
