About

Kiko Farkas is a designer and illustrator. Graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of São Paulo, Kiko works mainly in the editorial, cultural and institutional areas. He has directed Máquina Estúdio since its foundation in 1987. During this period the Máquina Estúdio created outstanding projects such as MarcaBrasil, visual identity for Brazilian Tourism sector, the series of posters for Osesp – Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo and for Theatro Municipal de São Paulo. Currently, Kiko Farkas is dedicated to developing and implementing teaching projects in visual communication, focusing on hybrid narratives between cinema, web, exhibition projects and print media.

Máquina Estúdio allows Kiko Farkas and his team to imprint a very personal brand on their projects, which makes them have a professional identity that is widely recognized in the Brazilian and international design scene. Lean, with a structure of no more than 4 people – Farkas’ option was always to never grow to the point where he could not work creatively and have control over everything that is produced there – more than 300 covers and book designs have been created in recent years , for several publishers. For more than 30 years Máquina Estúdio has been a place of learning and exchange where each professional has creative autonomy in an effervescent environment led by Farkas, where cinema, music and the arts in general are part of everyday conversation. Many designers who were assistant at ME, are now great professionals by themselves.

Kiko Farkas has given lectures and workshops in Tehran, Beijing, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, among others. He was creator and coordinator of the Specialization Program in Graphic Design at EBAC-British School of Creative Arts between 2016 and 2018.

Kiko is a founding partner of ADG – Brazilian Design Association, and member of AGI – Alliance Graphique Internationale since 2007.

 

Awards

2013 – Distinction award for the covers of the collection of books, Poemas, ADG Biennial

2011 – Honorable mention for the covers of the Companhia das Letras poetry collection at the international exhibition ZGRAPH11 / Croatia

2008 – Aloisio Magalhaes Award, from the Biblioteca Nacional. Best graphic design for the book Antigos e Soltos by Ana Cristina Cesar, IMS

2008 – Jury for the Chaumont poster Festival / France

2007 – Winner, along with Companhia das Letras, of the competition for the republication of Jorge Amado’s work

2007 – Jabuti Award for Best Cover of the Year

2005 – Winner of the national contest for the creation of the visual identity of Brazil’s tourism sector, promoted by Embratur

 

Lectures / workshops / curatorial work

2021 – Juror, speaker and workshop at Bienal del Cartel, La Paz, Bolivia

2020 – Curator of the exhibition Thomaz Farkas: the Rhythm of Light – Robert Capa Foundation, Budapest – Hungary

2019 – Curator and designer of the exhibition Thomaz Farkas: A modern look at Brazil –  Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan

2019 – Speaker at Design Indaba, Capetown, South Africa

2018 – Workshop at Universidad Centro, Mexico City – Mexico

2017 – Guest speaker at Mauricio Kagel Arts Institute,National University of
San Martin, Buenos Aires – Argentina

2015 – Lecture and workshop at the Design Congress, exchange agent of the Universidad San Ignácio Loyola, Lima / Peru

2014 – Lecture and workshop at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes / Mexico

2012 – Lecture and workshop at the Momayes Foundation in Tehran / Iran

2010 – Exhibition of Posters at USP’s Mariantonia centre and launch of the book Cartazes Musicais, CosacNaify

2010 – Jury at the Posters for Tomorrow event held in Paris / France

2009 – Guest lecturer at the World Congress of Icograda – International Council of Graphic Designers Association in Beijing / China

2009 – Retrospective exhibition and lecture at the Design College of Nanjing Arts Institute

2006 – Associate Curator and designer of the Brazilian pavilion at the DesigMai fair in Berlin / Germany

 

Exhibitions

 

Individual

2019 – Estudos, desenhos e rabiscos, Galeria Millan, São Paulo / Brasil

2012 – Retrospective exhibition, lecture and workshop at the Momayez Foundation in Tehran / Iran

2010 – Cartazes musicais, Centro Cultural Mariantonia, Universidade de São Paulo

2009 – Retrospective – Design College of Nanjing Art Institute, Nanjing / China

2009 – Proyectos recientes – Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago / Chile

2004 – A imagem da música – 50 posters created for OSESP – São Paulo State Symphony, Tomie Ohtake Institute, São Paulo / Brazil

 

Collective

1992–2020 – All ADG Biennials, São Paulo / Brasil

2019 – Fiesta gráfica, Paris / França

2014 – AGI international posters, São Paulo / Brazil

2013 – La Fête du Graphisme, Paris / France

2009 – Posters for Immigration – Athens / Greece

2009 – Brazil Contemporary – Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam

2008 – Festival International de l’affiche à Chaumont, Chaumont / France

2008 – We love books, Echirolles / France

2008 – Inter-American Biennial of Design, Madrid / Spain

2007 – Brazil AdDesign at the Art Directors Club, New York / United States

2007 – Posters for cultural diversity, Icograda Congress, Havana / Cuba

2005/2006 – Bresil à l’affiche, Chaumont / France

2004 – Sob o sol a garôa e a fumaça – Exhibition celebrating the 450 years of São Paulo – Museu da Casa Brasileira

2003 – Trnava / Eslovaq Republic

1997/2003 – Triennal of stage posters, Sofia / Bulgaria

1997/2002 – International Poster Biennial in Finland, Helsinki / Finland

1999/2000 – A imagem do som / São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro

1995 – The new Brazilian graphic design, Lisbon / Portugal

1991 – 1993, 1995, 1997 International Poster Biennial, Colorado / USA

1990 – Brno, Brno / Czechoslovakia

1990 – XIV Poster Biennale, Warsaw / Poland

 

Publications

2020 – Estudos, rabiscos e desenhos – Bebel Books / São Paulo

2014 – Ten Brazilian designers – Ipsis Publisher / Brazil

2012 – New Masters of Poster Design: Volume Two – Rockport Publisher / United States

2012 – Neshan magazine – 28th edition / Iran

2010 – Cartazes Musicais / Musical Posters – CosacNaify / Brazil

2010 – Design 360˚ – Sandu Publishing Co., July, Hong Kong / China

2008 – Latin American Design – Taschen

2009 – New Graphic magazine – Seecoo editors, July / China

2009 – Logos II – Taschen

2007 – Experimenta Magazine – September / Spain

2005 – Comunication Arts – March / April / United States