Soul+Matter: The Art of Spanish Craftmanship

In 2023, Spain was designated as a guest country at the prestigious Cheongju Craft Biennale, one of the most important craft events in the world. It participated with the exhibition Soul+Matter, of which we present below a selection of the participating works and the group of artists.

Marta Armada (Vigo, Galicia, 1967) is a contemporary jewelry artist and sculptor known for her small-format works. His work is inspired by the idea of ​​travel, his experiences and the relationships established with different cultures.

Jean Briac (Le Grau-du-Roi, France, 1980) is a master craftsman and sculptor with more than twenty years of experience in working with stone and, in particular, marble. Briac's work is inspired by the organic world and geometric shapes.

Canoa Lab, Raquel Vidal (Almería, Andalusia, 1987) & Pedro Paz (Ferrol, Galicia, 1981), is a contemporary ceramics studio based in Valencia, founded by Raquel Vidal and Pedro Paz. Its inspiration comes from archaeology and the vases and jugs of ancient Mediterranean times.

Francisco Carrera (Seville, Andalusia, 1957) is a master craftsman of fine gold embroidery on hand-knotted mesh. Each piece is made using raised embroidery techniques from the Seville school, such as the ‘setillo’, the ‘half wave’ or the ‘pespunte’.

Roger Coll (Badalona, ​​Catalonia, 1979) is part of a new generation of creators who challenge the limits of ceramics without restrictions or ties to traditional categories.

Ferran Collado (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1980) is the fourth generation of a family dedicated to the world of glass. She has developed a personal, aesthetic and functional language, with a broad and contemporary vision of reference in her work, especially in blowtorch glass.

Idoia Cuesta (Donostia, Basque Country, 1969) is an artist who combines basketry and textiles. She uses artisanal techniques and organic materials to create unique pieces that reflect the identity of the raw material.

Regina Dejiménez (Madrid, Madrid, 1984) specializes in the creation of organic textile sculptures. Her work method combines intuitive processes with processes of repetition and calculation, and thus explores the boundaries between art, craftsmanship and design.

ELIURPI is the project of Elisabet Urpí (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1985) and Nacho Umpiérrez (Colonia, Uruguay, 1983), a couple of creators who develop objects, hats and sculptures using artisanal methods. Through their work they have managed to bring new languages ​​and perspectives to traditional objects.

Eva Fortuño (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1991) is a contemporary jeweler who fuses traditional techniques with new digital technologies to seek harmony between the visual and the tactile in her creations.

Rafael Galindo (Vila-real, Castellón, Valencian Community, 1954) is a master craftsman who has developed his activity in the field of artistic ceramics since 1982. His work and production explore different techniques with the aim of bringing the material to its maximum expression.

Fernando Garcés (Calatorao, Zaragoza, 1969) is a ceramist with a career spanning more than three decades. The influence on her work is marked by an international vision that ranges from the East to the Europe, with a contemporary approach inspired by a personal view of the artisan tradition.

Mònica Guilera (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1969) is an artist with more than twenty years of experience in the practice of basketry. Her contemporary sensibility, rooted in tradition, is reflected in her work, which explores form, color and pattern, and creates functional and artistic objects.

Myriam Jiménez (Madrid, Madrid, 1973) uses white and simple lines as a language to create minimalist works that explore the intersection between sculpture and architecture through ceramics.

José Marín (Valencia, Valencian Community, 1965) is an internationally renowned creator who draws inspiration from nature, other cultures, the Renaissance movement and small details to create his pieces. Since 2010 he has specialized in the creation of jewelry and uses titanium as a material.

Adriana Meunié (Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, 1985) studied fashion design in Barcelona, ​​where she developed her passion for fabrics and textile materials. His exploration of tapestry work allows him to create textures, volumes and wild shapes in search of elegance.

Marc Monzó (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1973) is one of the most prominent artists of contemporary Spanish and international jewelry. His interest in synthetic aesthetics has led him to create his own style characterized by formal sobriety, precision and geometric shapes.

Raúl Mouro (Llamas del Mouro, Asturias, 1979) comes from a family tradition of ceramicists dating back to the 16th century. Her contribution to contemporary ceramics offers a reinterpretation of the past with a special attention to texturing in the finishes with local materials.

The relationship between volume and surface is a recurring theme in the work of María Oriza María Oriza (Aranda de Duero, Castilla y León, 1964). In her mural work she builds volume from a flat surface and explores the occupation of space through modular elements.

The work of Toni Porto (Madrid, Madrid, 1964) is based on creative freedom, constant research and a deep knowledge of materials. For Porto, it is essential to isolate himself in his studio to escape external influences and allow his creative process to flow authentically.

Victòria Rabal (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1958) is a renowned artist who has developed her work through paper. Her recent work explores changing colours and tones. from the sea.

Stella Rahola (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1980) is an artist with a background in architecture. This training has given her an interest in space, construction and the ability of materials to transform.

Benjamín Ramírez (Las Pedroñeras, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, 1979) is a craftsman who works with stone and represents the perfect combination of tradition and innovation. His works provide a contemporary vision of the materials he uses, especially natural stone and marble.

Natividad Rodríguez (Jaén, Andalusia, 1976) is a multidisciplinary artist who currently combines creation with research. Rodríguez seeks new languages ​​of expression and dialogue between new materials and traditional techniques.

Caterina Roma (Lleida, Catalonia, 1977) is an internationally renowned ceramist. She stands out for being a self-taught creator and for her focus on the freedom to create intuitively, without restrictions or prejudices.

Soledad Santisteban (Bilbao, Basque Country, 1956) is an outstanding textile artist who has found her artistic voice through the creative and productive process of the wet felting technique. Her work stands out for the use of local materials, which allows her to establish a unique dialogue with the material.

Sara Sorribes (Valencia, Valencian Community, 1975) is the third generation of a family of glassworkers, and has specialized in glassblowing. The combination of her family heritage and her contemporary approach has allowed her to develop her own unique style.

Ricardo Tena (Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, 1977) acquired a deep knowledge of metal from an early age as the son of a blacksmith. From the combination of this experience with his training in design and art arises a personal approach to the world of creation.

Mercedes Vicente (Madrid, Madrid, 1958) is an outstanding multidisciplinary artist who has achieved international recognition in the field of artistic creation using textile materials. Throughout her career she has specialized in the search for forms that combine complexity and simplicity.