Joias (2017)
In the north of Brazil there’s a world that goes beyond our imagination. It’s a colourful world where the sun always shines, and where you can find exotic fruits and wild animals in abundance. This sensual setting of the Delta do Parnaíba is where Joias matured.
Amongst all the jewels this region has to offer, the Carnaúba palm is the one that shines most. With its elegant-dancing leaves it radiates pure natural glamour. Besides being beautiful, the Carnaúba is environmentally and economically vital for the region. Every single part of this tree is used for the most diverse products, from construction materials to computer chips, and from medicine to artisanal objects. It is not by chance that the Carnaúba is called ‘árvore da vida’.
Our ‘joias’ are the fruit of a co-creation process between the artisans of Ilha Grande de Santa Isabel and three Belgian designers. They are inspired by this overwhelming environment, and they are made out of the sun-dried fibres of the Carnaúba tree. In the objects the artistic concepts of the designers beautifully merge with the diverse craft techniques of the Brazilian artisans. Joias is a silent witness of this exuberant cultural dialogue.
Designed by
Laura Caroen
Linde Freya
Sep Verboom
Curated by
Elien Haentjens
www.joias.be
Amongst all the jewels this region has to offer, the Carnaúba palm is the one that shines most. With its elegant-dancing leaves it radiates pure natural glamour. Besides being beautiful, the Carnaúba is environmentally and economically vital for the region. Every single part of this tree is used for the most diverse products, from construction materials to computer chips, and from medicine to artisanal objects. It is not by chance that the Carnaúba is called ‘árvore da vida’.
Our ‘joias’ are the fruit of a co-creation process between the artisans of Ilha Grande de Santa Isabel and three Belgian designers. They are inspired by this overwhelming environment, and they are made out of the sun-dried fibres of the Carnaúba tree. In the objects the artistic concepts of the designers beautifully merge with the diverse craft techniques of the Brazilian artisans. Joias is a silent witness of this exuberant cultural dialogue.
Designed by
Laura Caroen
Linde Freya
Sep Verboom
Curated by
Elien Haentjens
www.joias.be
Caro Barro (2016)
“In the near future
I will realize my dream
And in the book of this valley
another history will be.”
--- Deuzani Gomes Dos Santos
Caro Barro is the result of a cocreation process between the Belgian designer Sep Verboom and the Brazilian artisans of Coqueiro Campo, a village in the Valley of Jequitinhonha, in the north of Minas Gerais. Following centuries of tradition, the woman of the community still produces artisanal ceramics that are completely made out of natural materials. In close collaboration with the Brazilian organisation Artesol we invited Sep and his brand Livable, which is specialized in working with artisans all over the world, to live and work with the artisans for one month.
Caro Barro mixes the artistic language of the artisans with elements from the village such as roof plates that inspired Sep Verboom to tell the story of the valley, and the way in which huge plantations of eucalyptus invaded in the lives of the artisans. Not only the companies bought all the land from the local people for low prices, but because the eucalyptus trees take all of the water from the ground, the nature of the valley is irreversibly damaged. That’s why the ceramics today are an even more important source of income for the people of Coqueiro Campo. Luckily one of the few things they can still get from nature, is the clay. Their sweetest, most precious clay.
---- Elien Haentjens, curator Beleza Design & Art
“Quando for daqui uns tempos
meu sonho vou realizar
e no livro desse vale
outra história estará.”
--- Deuzani Gomes Dos Santos
Caro Barro é o resultado do processo de cocriação entre o designer belga Sep Verboom e as artesãs brasileiras de Coqueiro Campo, região do Vale do Jequitinhonha, norte de Minas Gerais. Seguindo séculos de tradição, as mulheres da região ainda produzem cerâmicas artesanais feitas com materiais completamente naturais. Com a colaboração da ONG brasileira Artesol, nós convidamos Sep e sua marca, a Livable, especializada em trabalhos com artesãos de todo o mundo, para viver e trabalhar com as artesãs durante um mês.
Caro Barro mistura a linguagem artística das artesãs com elementos locais, como as telhas das casas, que inspiraram Sep Verboom a contar a história do Vale e de como as plantações de eucaliptos invadiram a vida das artesãs. Grandes empresas compraram a terra local a preços baixos, plantando eucaliptos que sugam toda a água do solo, causando danos irreversíveis à natureza local. Hoje, a cerâmica é uma importante fonte de renda para o povo de Coqueiro Campo. Felizmente, uma das poucas coisas que elas ainda podem obter da natureza é a argila. Sua mais doce e preciosa argila.
---- Elien Haentjens, curadora do Beleza Design & Art
I will realize my dream
And in the book of this valley
another history will be.”
--- Deuzani Gomes Dos Santos
Caro Barro is the result of a cocreation process between the Belgian designer Sep Verboom and the Brazilian artisans of Coqueiro Campo, a village in the Valley of Jequitinhonha, in the north of Minas Gerais. Following centuries of tradition, the woman of the community still produces artisanal ceramics that are completely made out of natural materials. In close collaboration with the Brazilian organisation Artesol we invited Sep and his brand Livable, which is specialized in working with artisans all over the world, to live and work with the artisans for one month.
Caro Barro mixes the artistic language of the artisans with elements from the village such as roof plates that inspired Sep Verboom to tell the story of the valley, and the way in which huge plantations of eucalyptus invaded in the lives of the artisans. Not only the companies bought all the land from the local people for low prices, but because the eucalyptus trees take all of the water from the ground, the nature of the valley is irreversibly damaged. That’s why the ceramics today are an even more important source of income for the people of Coqueiro Campo. Luckily one of the few things they can still get from nature, is the clay. Their sweetest, most precious clay.
---- Elien Haentjens, curator Beleza Design & Art
“Quando for daqui uns tempos
meu sonho vou realizar
e no livro desse vale
outra história estará.”
--- Deuzani Gomes Dos Santos
Caro Barro é o resultado do processo de cocriação entre o designer belga Sep Verboom e as artesãs brasileiras de Coqueiro Campo, região do Vale do Jequitinhonha, norte de Minas Gerais. Seguindo séculos de tradição, as mulheres da região ainda produzem cerâmicas artesanais feitas com materiais completamente naturais. Com a colaboração da ONG brasileira Artesol, nós convidamos Sep e sua marca, a Livable, especializada em trabalhos com artesãos de todo o mundo, para viver e trabalhar com as artesãs durante um mês.
Caro Barro mistura a linguagem artística das artesãs com elementos locais, como as telhas das casas, que inspiraram Sep Verboom a contar a história do Vale e de como as plantações de eucaliptos invadiram a vida das artesãs. Grandes empresas compraram a terra local a preços baixos, plantando eucaliptos que sugam toda a água do solo, causando danos irreversíveis à natureza local. Hoje, a cerâmica é uma importante fonte de renda para o povo de Coqueiro Campo. Felizmente, uma das poucas coisas que elas ainda podem obter da natureza é a argila. Sua mais doce e preciosa argila.
---- Elien Haentjens, curadora do Beleza Design & Art

Caro Barro was on show at MADE, which took place from the 9th until the 14th of August at the Jockey Club in São Paulo.
Fragilidade Forte (2015)
The exhibition presented the most recent creations of the internationally famous designer and artist Piet Stockmans and the glass artworks of Klaar Prims during MADE - Mercado Arte Design between the 12th and 16th of August 2015.
(c) Silvana Garzaro, Beleza D&A
Mozart and Monica Fernandes (2015)
Beleza Design & Art organised the first show of the Brazilian artists and designers Mônica Rodrigues Fernandes and Mozart Fernandes in Brussels in cooperation with Hotel Bloom and the Embassy of Brazil in Belgium in the framework of The Penthouse Art Space residency program of Hotel Bloom.
The duo of artists has been in residency between the 20th of January and the 11th of February 2015 at Hotel Bloom where they painted a space that has been inaugurated on Friday the 30th of January. On the same day an exhibition of Mônica's and Mozart's creations, ranging from photographs to paintings, took place.
Click here to download the press release of the event.
The duo of artists has been in residency between the 20th of January and the 11th of February 2015 at Hotel Bloom where they painted a space that has been inaugurated on Friday the 30th of January. On the same day an exhibition of Mônica's and Mozart's creations, ranging from photographs to paintings, took place.
Click here to download the press release of the event.
Além do modernismo (2014)
The exhibition was organized by Beleza Design & Art within the fair MADE - Mercado Arte Design, where works of Peter Donders, Kinetura (Barbara Van Biervliet & Xaveer Claerhout) and Noumenon (Carl De Smet) have been presented for the first time in Brazil.