Art and Artisan Traditions
I love blankets. Besides the obvious function of keeping one warm, they add depth to a decor scheme with colour, materiality, and pattern. They make great wedding, birthday, or house-warming gifts. Vibrant and subtle colour palettes. Traditional and contemporary motifs. Merino. Mohair. Cashmere. Alpaca. These are descriptions of the blankets from five makers that I…
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The serving tray is a much-used item in my home. In the mornings I place the day’s food selections on it to take to my workplace at home. As a family, we often-perhaps too often-forego the sit-down meal in favour of tray dinners, each member in their own space. I recall searching with my mother…
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I love the idea of the formal tea ceremony. I recall drinking tea with my grandmother as a child and eating her ever-present tea biscuits. I cannot say I loved the bitter flavour of the tea that I invariably drank without added sugar or milk, and I would have preferred a sweeter cookie. But this…
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Henar Iglesias specializes in the art of feathers. Raised in her mother’s millinery workshop and with a painter father, she studied for a degree in mathematics while learning her mother’s trade. Along the way, after discovering the magic of feathers and seeing that there was no specialized training in feather art in Spain, Henar left for…
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Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people. The importance of telling stories in an alternative way drives Myrte Sara Huyts and Javier Reta, the founders of Maleza hatmakers. They create limited edition, bespoke, and one-of-a-kind genderless hats in felt and vegetable fibers, such as hemp and baobab straw. Coming from different countries-the…
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Master leather artisan José Luis Bazán (@joseluisbazan) has a long national and international trajectory in his craft. Based in Benaocaz (Cádiz), he has collaborated with numerous companies and creatives, including Spanish luxury fashion brand Loewe. Elle magazine and Vogue have featured his work. Not content to rest on his laurels, he continues to innovate. His…
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Juan Manuel Gil López is the son of (hijo de) Epigmenio, hence the name of his shop Hijo de Epigmenio. I first met him when I visited his central Madrid shop in August 2019 on the last day of my month in Spain. The handmade artisan items on display fascinated me. Many were unfamiliar and he…
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Espacio Intermedio is an online gallery for artistic crafts led by Cristina Vallejo, an architect and the founder of the furniture and contemporary craft studio ELSUR, and Marta Redondo, an architect, specialising in the design, management, and direction of exhibition and museum projects. They joined forces with the mission to promote creatives who work in that “intermediate…
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Spain for Design reached out to three artists who were among the first to be profiled on these pages. Speedy, the new work by renowned Spanish artist Felipao, the artistic name of Felipe Garcia-Bañon Sanz-Briz, has its basis in Chinese mythological traditions and his reflections about life under COVID-19. Last year, I was in the process…
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In collaboration with the Francisco Alcántara School of Art of Ceramics, the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid has organized an exhibition that features the 2018-2019 students’ final projects. The exhibition celebrates the centenary of the influential early-twentieth-century Bauhaus style and the survival of its pedagogical model. The exhibition is part of the museums’ Design and Pedagogy…
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“I cannot think in a way that separates shapes and colour. The patterns I create are an exaltation of this ‘partnership’ between shapes and colours.” Based in Madrid, Argentina–born Federico Antelo Granero has quickly established himself among the premier textile artisans in his adopted country. With a background in painting, his pieces are remarkable for…
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The fourth edition of the Madrid Design Festival 21 (MDF21) took place in February and March. The only festival in Spain that brings together all design disciplines, there were 183 activities, 58 exhibitions, and the participation of more than 500 designers and 72 institutions from the world of design, art, and culture. Organized by Madrid-based cultural promoter La…
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