The first edition of the Biennial of Catalan Crafts will be open until September 19, a proposal promoted by the Catalan Government to showcase and transport Catalan artisan talent around the world.

It is a project promoted by the crafts area of the Consorci de Comerç, Artesania i Moda (CCAM) of the Generalitat, and has the support of the Associació de Galeries d’Art de Catalunya (GAC). Jordi Torrades, director general of the CCAM, emphasised the project’s intention to internationalise Catalan art and crafts and bring them prestige and recognition.

Internationalising art through Visions of Catalonia                                                    

The central axis of the event is the exhibition Visions of Catalonia. Crafting Art, a format that will be repeated every two years with the aim to showcase local talent. This year it focuses on contemporary art and craft creation and features the work of 31 Catalan artists. It can be visited until September 19 at the Centre d’Artesania de Catalunya, at Carrer Banys Nous, 11, Barcelona. Next year, there are plans to move the exhibition to new international venues.                                                                                  

Directed by David Plazas and curated by Mónica Ramon and Rubèn Torres, the aim is for this space to serve as a loudspeaker for the dissemination of new expressions of contemporary art in our country, creating a platform from which local artists can show and disseminate their work, but also what lies behind it. The final result is as important as the process of getting there, and that is why the exhibition emphasises the technique, the concept, the materials and the trade of craftsmanship with all what it encompasses. Techniques such as paper, metal, ceramics, wood and textiles will be on display.

You can discover the artists of this first edition of Visions of Catalonia here.

Visibility and recognition to promote craftsmanship

The visibility and internationalisation of Catalan art is a key point in the cultural development of a country, but we must go further. Artists and artisans seek to make a living from their craft, at a time in society when technology has displaced a large part of craft techniques, dehumanising the creative processes. In this sense the CCAM launched a campaign to promote the consumption of artisan products. Under the hashtag #ConsumeixArtesania, a search engine has been created. It lists all places where you can buy these products in Catalonia.

It is just as important to recognise the work of artisans as it is to prevent products being marketed under the label of craftsmanship, which really are not. To avoid this, in Catalonia there are craftwork cards, which grant the final consumer the certainty that the product has been made with natural or recycled raw materials, and that it has not been industrially produced in order to be marketed.

The wide range of artisan producers in Catalonia shows the good health of this sector, which, in addition to the boost of international visibility, needs local recognition and the support of consumers to continue growing and finding its place in the era of industrial consumption.

• Source: govern.cat

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