Art and Artisan Traditions
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
“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…
Read More
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…
Read More
“SACo’s genesis arises from the experience of a group of artisan firms in Spain that sensed the need to come together to improve their exposure and commercialization capacity inside and, especially, outside Spain. As an organization, we will promote artisans that create contemporary designs, who make their products mainly by hand with a high level…
Read More
“I am the daughter of a family of sushi chefs in Tokyo. I have been taught the importance of tableware since childhood and that it must be enjoyed with all five senses, First, with the look, the composition, the relationship of the plate with the food. Since then, I have always liked porcelain. My grandfather…
Read More
Before the confinement due to COVID 19, online shopping was growing in popularity during the holiday season. It has become essential for many businesses during the pandemic and led to an increase in the number of e-commerce websites. Although the virtual experience does not have the sensory delights that many find to be the most…
Read More
I recently saw an interview with renowned French decorator Jacques García who, speaking about his maximalist design tendencies, surmised that minimalism is easy if one has nothing in one’s head, but difficult to achieve if it is full. Far from being the former, the minimalist designs of Madrid-based studio Mayice Studio is a complex interplay…
Read More
“Before I began to work with wood in 2000, I did a bit of everything. I studied fashion design at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. I designed for others, sold insurance, sold underwear, was a gas station attendant, ran a family car washing and mechanics business, activities that led me to slow down, to take…
Read More
The Spanish expression de toda la vida is one I have recently come to know and appreciate. It can refer to something familiar, something that has not changed; maybe a friend, a situation, an object, a recipe, a tradition, or that little shop around the corner. I do not think there is an equivalent in the English…
Read More