NERVIO BLANDO: FIRMO AND SALGUEIRO AT FORMATOCÓMODO
Formatocómodo presents Nervio Blando (Soft Nerve), an exhibition by Rafaela Salgueiro (Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, 1991) and Theo Firmo (São Paulo, Brazil, 1983), where the duo showcases their most recent joint work for the first time in Spain. The two artists, from different backgrounds, have been collaborating since 2023, united by a shared interest in the human body as a contemporary subject of research and reflection.
While Firmo draws on his background as a draftsman to offer a poetic perspective on the theme, Salgueiro — coming from fashion, scenography, and performance — approaches it more dynamically, through bodily action. In their collaboration, sewing plays a central role, going beyond a purely technical or functional element to become a symbolic merging of their disciplines. In this exhibition, organized by the Madrid-based gallery, the works explore the concept of furniture — understood here as a structure where the body and its shelter meet through the act of stitching.
This sets up a continuous dialogue between body and image, which takes different forms throughout the process of listening and visual engagement with the pieces. The suggested shapes and sensory impressions invite the viewer to mentally trace their own sensations, immersed in familiar and everyday materials and settings, and to question the functionality of the elements that make up this imagined space.
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Theo Firmo y Rafaela Salgueiro. MARAÑA IV, 2023. Terciopelo, fieltro, piel sintética, guata, 60 x 80 cm. Cortesía de FORMATOCOMODO
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Theo Firmo y Rafaela Salgueiro. MARAÑA II, 2023. Terciopelo, fieltro, tela encerada, guata, 80 x 100 cm. Cortesía de FORMATOCOMODO
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Theo Firmo y Rafaela Salgueiro. Sin título (Maraña I) 2023. Terciopelo, algodón, guata, 80 x 100 x 3cm. Cortesía de FORMATOCOMODO
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Theo Firmo y Rafaela Salgueiro. TRAMOYA VI. Piel sintética, espuma de poliuretano, 70 x 55 cm. Cortesía de FORMATOCOMODO
Through this conversation, the artists also challenge dimensional processes. Their practice becomes an opportunity to explore how volume and scale can expand their technique. As a result, they revisit the traditional boundaries of form and space, inviting viewers to take part in this approach.
Nervio Blando is on view through June 30 at Formatocómodo, Lope de Vega 5, Madrid (Spain).
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