This Self-Taught Woodworker Plays With Brazilian Design Traditions

The fruits of Triboli’s experiments recently went on display again, this time in his first U.S. solo show, at Anthony Meier in Mill Valley, California, presented with AGO Projects. His collection spans shaped chairs and hand-forged lamps to patterned folding screens, boxes, cabinets, and trays, all crafted exactingly from rich Brazilian mahogany. Each is adorned with intricate geometric carvings, painted motifs, serendipitous lacquer applications, and expressive cast bronze inlays, imbuing the series with personality and intrigue. 

Employing wax and lacquer came about organically. “I shared my studio with an artist who worked with wax, and one day I decided to make a small sample by pouring wax into holes I made in the wood,” Triboli says. He’s been hooked on incorporating the material into his work since, viewing it as an inventive way to distinguish the pieces and playfully update the design language of Brazilian modernism, defined by the use of local natural materials like tropical hardwoods, leather, and cane fashioned in organic, relaxed shapes. The style often trades expressiveness for timelessness and simplicity, letting beautiful wood grains and elegant silhouettes do the talking. “I think of the symbols more as drawings,” Triboli says. “Sometimes they resemble calligraphy, other times they allude to a landscape, and other times they’re just a way of resolving the work.” 

Situated among Triboli’s pieces in the show are his deepest reference points—explorations of color by Josef Albers, a cast bronze sculpture by JB Blunk, and bi-color woodcut prints by Donald Judd—that bring his practice into even deeper focus. His hand-carved wooden boxes, cabinets, and objects resonate with Blunk’s reverence for the natural world and raw materials, while the wax inlays echo Albers. “The relationship between the color of the wood and the color of the wax or bronze is completely different before and after applying the oil I use for finishing,” Triboli says. “Every time I apply the oil, I think of Albers.” His own iridescent lighting fixtures, crafted fluidly to evoke geological artifacts, intensify the transformative effect. 

While some artists may view their first major solo exhibition as an occasion to reflect on their evolution, Triboli prefers thinking about continuity. “I remember the first time I used a jigsaw to cut a piece of pine and discovered I could create round chair backs,” he says, “or when I started painting my first chairs with oil paint because I didn’t like the color of the wood.” His large-scale folding screen, also painted with oil, carries the same sentiment. “I like how these small, raw actions from the beginning are now connecting with my current work. The evolution comes when you use the same attitudes along with technical refinement.” 

“Rafael Triboli” will be on view at Anthony Meier (21 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley, CA) until February 14. Below, see more pieces from the show.