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Nove Novos – Neun Neue> Peter Cachola SchmalDeutsches Architekturmuseum, Frankfurt am MainIn our eyes, Brazil’s architecture is identicalwith a heroic tropical Modernism such as we arefamiliar with from the work of Oscar Niemeyerand Paulo Mendes da Rocha, the two Braziliansto have won the Pritzker Prize: Theirs are buildingsdefined by grand lines, extraordinarily audaciousstructures with vast cantilevers in fairfacedor white concrete, sensuously curvaceousforms — purportedly inspired by the femalebeauties of the Copacabana — architecture thatcreates shade and contrasts with the opulentjungle vegetation. One thinks especially of thebeginnings back in the 1930s in Belo Horizonte,the pathos-driven edifices in the new capitalBrasília in the 1950s, or the famous large structuresthat shape the face of Rio de Janeiro andSão Paulo. The last major statement by the thenalmost centenarian grand old master OscarNiemeyer, who died in 2012, was the MAC Niterói(Museum of Contemporary Art) in Rio deJaneiro — and a decade ago was the image chosento represent the exhibition DAM hostedon Oscar Niemeyer. A Legend of Modernism.Then there are the wonderful works of Italianémigré Lina Bo Bardi, above all the marvelousSESC Pompeia cultural center in São Paulo orthe architecture faculty at the University ofSão Paulo (FAU/USP) by Vilanova Artigas, aquite typical example of the Paulista school. Allof them are among the great examples of theoutput of the day. It would have been simpleto bring together these and many other superlativeexamples of “Modernismo” and presentthem to the German public on the occasion ofthe Frankfurt Book Fair where Brazil is guestof honor. Without doubt, they would have metwith appreciation. The great successes of thepast always have the tendency, however, tosideline what is happening now, especially inarchitecture. Not only Brazil, but likewise Finland— which will be guest of honor in 2014 —is all too familiar with the dilemma of havingbeen home to a titan of architecture in the formof the legendary Alvar Aalto.We therefore decided to outline positionsheld by the youngest generation of Brazilianarchitects, people who stand for the economicallydynamic present that we are witnessingin so many different media forms now, specificallyin the run-up to the 2014 World Cup andthe Rio 2016 Olympic games. We want to presentthose who now, for the first time since Niemeyer,have a real chance of decisively shapingthe face of Brazil at a time when many newbuildings are arising.Three of the nine selected architecturepractices are based in Belo Horizonte, ArquitetosAssociados, BCMF, and Rizoma; CarlaJuaçaba and Jacobsen work out of Rio de Janeiro;Studio Paralelo represents Porto Alegrein the south; while Corsi Hirano, Metro, andNitsche are all based in São Paulo. The youngestowner is not yet 30, most are under 40, andthe oldest is just 45. Yet when it comes to theprojects some of them have already realized,the results are quite astonishing: a large numberof buildings, and many of them on a verylarge scale. Even more astonishing for us is theoptimism and carefree approach of both theclients and architects when tackling the tasksat hand. Compared with the difficult situationfor newcomers to the profession in Germany,who despite the construction boom can rarelysubmit entries to competitions given the redtape involved in the new procedures, one is leftwondering what future prospects young architectshere actually have. A glance at Germanythrough Brazilian eyes is pretty sobering, andone cannot really be surprised that the countryis more than ever a new world infused withhope that attracts many an immigrant — alsofrom Germany.A second strand in the exhibition is dedicatedto the Inhotim Garden in the state ofMinas Gerais. A trip to the remote town of Brumadinho,a good two hours outside Belo Horizonte,was a true revelation. Visiting Inhotimis a must for anyone who loves European artparks, such as Insel Hombroich or the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Hoge Veluwe nationalpark near Arnheim, Netherlands. The wealthymine owner Bernardo Paz has created an artpark here that is quite unique the world over.It is currently about 5,000 hectares and thusat least a hundred times larger and far morespacious than those in Europe, but the countrysideis far more attractive, wilder, and morediverse. It ranges from shady jungle forests tolarge glades, artificial lakes, and steppe-likehills. A team of curators headed by Jochen Volz,formerly the curator at Frankfurt’s Portikusand currently curator at London’s SerpentineGallery, has assembled a stunning collectionof contemporary Brazilian and internationalsculpture, ranging from Adriana Varejão, MariláDardot, through Matthew Barney, Doug Aitken,Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster to SteveMcQueen. Some groups of works have theirvery own pavilions. The artists joined up withthe curators to choose the right spot for theirpieces, and then young architects from BeloHorizonte were hired to design a specific buildingfor each sculpture. A real dream of a job.I would like to take this opportunityto thank Antonio Grassi from the culturalfoundation Funarte and the Brazilian Ministryof Culture for their confidence in furtherpursuing this concept and for their generousfinancial support. In Brazil, Gunter Neuhausprovided enormous support as our agent, andin Frankfurt, Paula Macedo Weiss as intermediary.The cooperation partner for this exhibitionis the private art museum Instituto TomieOhtake, headed by Ricardo Ohtake, who hasbeen responsible for numerous Brazilian entriesto the Architecture Biennales in Venice,and whose museum in São Paulo is the onlyinstitution to regularly exhibit architecturalthemes in what, with regard to architectureand design, is Brazil’s most important city. PaulaSignorelli was project manager in the InstitutoTomie Ohtake, and she and her team deserveour thanks for the excellent working relationship.This dates to as far back as 2007, when theauthor and his co-editor Anna Scheuermanndisplayed the German entry to the VII ArchitectureBiennale in São Paulo. Fernando Serapião,the editor-in-chief of the stylish magazineMonolito, which has appeared since 2011 and isdedicated to new trends, also served as advisor.He wrote the following texts and designed thispublication together with his graphic designteam. Ohtake, Serapião, and the author selectedthe Nove Novos. And last but not least, theprolific architecture photographer LeonardoFinotti, whose website has the best availabledata base for current Brazilian architecture,and who provided us with extremely constructivehelp in our research, deserves a mention.With just a few exceptions, he photographedall the selected projects. We look forward toseeing them all at the conference prior to theexhibition opening, the first presentation oftheir work in Europe.Preface12 * MONOLITO EXTRA Nove Novos – Neun Neue * 13Leonardo Finotti