South America
The Andes as temple - Keka Ruiz Tagle evokes the wisdom of her ancestors contained in vessels of light.
Capybara comes home - Yolanda Pocetti reintroduces the world's largest rodent to the busy commuters of Tigre.
Smelling is believing - In a post-COVID moment, the powerful aroma of the exhibition Biomater prompts Liliana Ojeda to remember the importance of being there.
Manzanito ✿ A national hero of rural craft - Our Craft Currencies issue is dedicated to Luis Manzano Cabello, a rural artisan whose magic forms uplifted Chilean craft and inspired pride in vernacular traditions.
Biomater: Life hanging by a thread - Catalina Mena reflects on the exhibition in Chile by Clarisa Menteguiaga, Liliana Ojeda, and Paulina Villalobos, which witnesses the beauty of decay in the gallery.
Ayvu Rapyta ✿ A selection - Andrea Ferrari presents a part of her translation of Ayvu Rapyta, the sacred myth of the Mbya people of South America, compiled in the twentieth century by Leon Cadogan
Paola Moreno ✿ Rhythms of Chile - Paola Moreno's modernist weaving is inspired by the many strands of Chilean culture, including precious textile relics of its ancient Inca past and passions of Violeta Parra.
Paula do Prado ✿ My abuela’s hands - Paula do Prado shares the story of her family’s epic story from Africa via Uruguay to Australia, as reflected in her intricately threaded creations.
The Kaikai of Rapanui - Marcela Garrido Díaz shares a string figure from Rapa Nui, accompanied by its traditional chant.
Cielo rojo (red sky) - Caco Honorato and Mariela Vicencio create fragile objects inspired by the poetry of broken wings.
Made with lava in Chile - The Santiago design workshop Great Things to People recover deep geology to make objects for life today.
¡Bravo Joya Brava! - Liliana Ojeda writes about the creation of an art guild in Chile that over ten years has given meaning to the art form of
The garden of Gildásio - Gildásio Jardim relates a remarkable life story, reflecting the experience of a tiny rural community in paintings that magically blend with real life.
Paola Moreno ✿ Healing plus - Our May laurel goes to Chilean textile artist Paola Moreno for a beautifully woven yet simple message of positivity for our time.
Democracy by hand in Chile - Textile artists can re-make flags to give a human dimension to a nation. Paola Moreno and Carolina Varela have made a powerful work in immediate response to the current crisis in Chilean democracy.
Kukuli Velarde ✿ A mi vida - Our August laurel goes to Peruvian-born ceramic artist Kukuli Velarde for her poignant effigy, A mi vida. This object reflects the culture of her birth, her maternal love and concern for child victims of anti-immigrant campaigns.
Liliana Ojeda ✿ November laurel - The November laurel goes to Chilean jewellery artist, Liliana Oleada. Her bold work uses her facility with materials to imagine internal forms within our body, making beauty from our hidden life forms.
Erika Diettes: Relics in amber - Alasdair Foster witnesses the work of Erika Diettes who cast objects of the disappeared in Colombia in a community memorial.
Muestra Artesanía, Santiago, December 2017 - Fresh from the 44th International Show of Traditional Crafts in Santiago, Chile, the President of World Crafts Council – Latin America, Alberto de Betolaza, shares with us some images of this important continental event.
Xocolatlummm: Wearable chocolate from Colombia - Our friend Ana Berrio shares another remarkable project of Colombian street jewellery. For Joya Barcelona recently, she made a cart decorated in typical style and sold body ornaments made from chocolate for €10 each. Xocolatlummm included artists Titi Berrio, Alejandra Ferrer and Liliana Molina. Check the Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFcytQlGQ8/?taken-by=xocolatlummm
The embroidered house - A project at A Casa museu do objeto Brasileiro, São Paulo City, commissioned local crafts from across Brazil to create a house of embroidery
The road to Kilombu crosses many borders - Where is Kilombu? A Paraguayan-Brazilian artist living in Thailand collaborated with a Chinese ethnic silversmith to produce amulets for a special place in the world that embodies cultural freedom.
Nature craft - The traditional story of craft as an art of civilisation involves controlling nature. Fibre is spun, wood is carved, metal is cast, glass is blown and clay is thrown. Making seems to involve an improvement in the otherwise formless quality of materials found in the environment. Natural substances are mastered in order to manipulate them into forms of useful beauty.
Chilean horsehair jewellery across the Pacific - Crin (horsehair) jewellery is idiomatic to Chilean culture. Trinidad Estay has taken this technique to the other side of the Pacific where it develops a close relationship to its equine origins.
Second Home by Camila Marambio - This is a reflection for the exhibition Second Home. As I roam the street of Brunswick I feel more like a hound than a human. Driven by need, want and pretense I hunt for a second home. My animal nature leads me to quiet streets, away from the noisy arteries, where I am all eyes, […]
Second Home - Shelter is a key element of life on earth. Humans construct homes, birds weave nests, insects make cocoons, animals develop skin, sea creatures and nuts grow shells for protection.