Diseño Colombia at Expoartesanías
A table of products by Artesanías de Colombia.
The month of December in Colombia signals the start of Expoartesanías, the leading artisanal fair in Latin America, with the goal of promoting and conserving the high standards and traditional processes that go into making artisanal products.
Under its umbrella is Diseño Colombia, an initiative created by local artisan craft authority Artesanías de Colombia to introduce traditional techniques to contemporary designers and preserve these processes by incorporating them into modern pieces.
Now in its sixth edition, and with the participation of 45 designers from all over the country, the exhibition has grown considerably since its first year when it presented just 11 designers.
“What we hope to do is create a new distribution channel for artisans, so that in the future, designers can contact them directly and develop new products that incorporate Colombian raw materials and processes,” says Camila Poblador of Artesanías de Colombia’s design team.
The exhibition presented a mix between Artesanias’ design team and works by designers from all over the country. A few worth noting are Manola, who incorporated indigenous cloths and textures into her ceramics; Angela Ramos, who worked with kumare, a material from the region of Caquetá, to create her elaborate chairs; Gres, who worked with the Coreguaje community from Caquetá; and Enkel, who created a console that incorporates textiles made with a horizontal loom. artesaniasdecolombia.com.co
