Art Madrid'25 – INTERVIEW WITH VENEZUELAN ARTIST ISABELLA DESPUJOLS

Isabella Despujols

Isabella Despujols (Venezuela, 1994), is a young visual artist with a focus on handmade embroidery. Despujols graduated in Fine Arts from the International University of Art and Design in Miami, and holds a degree in Art History from the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Isabella's work reflects her own history, born from her earliest visual references. "My parents are architects and I grew up surrounded by geometric drawings of projects they worked on. They also collected Venezuelan artists who were based on geometric abstraction, so the first works of art I came into contact with already posed that language. For me, geometry is the basis that speaks of what my first influences were, and also of the strong tradition of these movements in my country, which grew out of great masters such as Cruz-Diez and Jesús Soto. I pay homage to both of them in my work".

For the artist, embroidery is currently her favourite discursive medium. Due to her knowledge of oil painting (she was trained in Fine Arts with a specialisation in painting) she develops a technique in which she works the embroidery as if it were painting: "I embroider layers of colours that are juxtaposed and form new colours, resulting in that chromatic degradation that is perceived in all the works".

Isabella Despujols

34, 2020

Lienzo bordado

80 x 120cm


Interview:


What inspires you when you create?

When it comes to creating, there are two universes that particularly inspire me, on the one hand Kinetic Art, especially the artists Cruz Diez and Jesús Soto, and on the other hand everything that has to do with embroidery and that feminine tradition. In my family there was always this tradition of manual work, but all confined to the domestic environment and thought of those things that can be useful, such as towels, bedspreads, I always had this fascination for manual work, whether collage or painting. I began my training in Fine Arts as a painter, so I carry a bit of this legacy of working with oils, but the feeling of thread and making with thread, creating things from nothing, was something I always felt a fascination for.

Basically I combined these two universes and from there I was able to give life to the work that I have been developing for a short time, a couple of years, and which I have been perfecting over time. It's a bit like the visual project of the kinetic artist that has to do with reproducing real movements in the work, but my contribution has to do with the sensitivity that embroidery gives. I take the legacy of these artists and try to translate it with lines and the imperfections of manual work and make it so that it doesn't look like manual work, but in reality it's all done by hand through an artisanal process. My main objective, let's say, has to do with extending or expanding what we all generally know as embroidery and its characteristics, which are mainly figurative images and above all utility, the non-artistic and every day, which is found in a domestic environment, and by combining it with kinetic art I try to elevate everything that has to do with the tradition of embroidery and this craft, so that it ceases to be a craft and a work with an artistic finish can be achieved.


Isabella Despujols

Díptico, 2021

Lienzo bordado

100 x 200cm

What are you working on recently?

My most recent work are two works here in the background, in which the main elements are spheres. I've always felt a fascination with geometry and in fact it's a visual language that I'm quite close to, because my parents are architects, and I grew up with this visual reference to geometry, straight lines, planes, three-dimensionality. Here I try to achieve through a composition, achieved by circles, a work that wants to create a movement through the juxtaposition of different colors and how through the embroidery of different colors, new tones are created in our eye, and this gradient effect emerges. Basically, my current work has to do mainly with the study of color and the new possibilities that can arise through embroidery.


Isabella Despujols

48, 2021

Lienzo bordado

100 x 100cm


Tell us about your creative process

My work process is inspired by oil painting, I first start by painting the background in a homogeneous colour, because my idea is to highlight the embroidered work. The way I embroider emulates the process of oil painting, I first start by applying a first layer of a single colour with the embroidery and then I add layers of colours, it is a very gradual work. It is precisely this process of embroidering different layers of colours with the threads that generates the kinetic effect that I want to achieve in my work.


What do you expect from Art Madrid?

I'm very excited to be able to participate for the first time in Art Madrid and I think that this contact with the public and this exchange that takes place with the public that approaches the work is very enriching for me. My idea, or what I would like, is to be able to show my work for the second time in Madrid and for people to connect with my proposal and for them to get to know a little about other possibilities that can be done with embroidery.


How did you start working on your latest works?

At the beginning when I started my approach to embroidery, one of my first references was a Mexican tablecloth that a Mexican friend had given me, she knew that I was very interested in the technique. I remember it was a tablecloth with geometric shapes and extremely colorful, one of the approaches I wanted to take was to be inspired a little by these synthetic shapes that are typical of Mesoamerican, pre-Columbian embroidery and to see how I could develop my own technique. I found myself by imitating and copying these figures until, well, I started to separate myself from the figuration of Mesoamerican embroidery and developed my own technique, which is what I am currently working on. Those looms were a very important reference for me, especially when I was beginning this project of combining painting with embroidery.

Isabella Despujols participates for the first time in Art Madrid with the Brazilian gallery Jackie Shor Arte, together with the artists Aline Sancovsky, Nathalie Cohen and Osvaldo González.



PARALLEL PROGRAM CITY TERRITORY. ART MADRID'25

CYCLE OF INTERVENTIONS: 20 GRADOS

As part of the Parallel Programme, Espacio Tectónica will be the container for the Cycle of Interventions: 20 Grados. The investigations of the artists and managers presented in this section focus on the dialogue between art and urban spaces, using different artistic practices to question the social structure of the cities we inhabit and the way we relate to their architectures and territories.

These actions will build bridges between disciplines and different points of view, broadening the understanding of how art feeds back into the urban fabric and how public space is a natural environment for artistic creation. The Cycle of Interventions: 20 Grados. presents the work of 10 leading contemporary artists in an open, dynamic, and interactive space.

Guest artists: Susi Vetter, Helena Goñi, Paula Lafuente, Olga Mesa, Elena Arroyo, Amaya Hernández, Deneb Martos, Guillermo G. Peydró & Jeanne de Petriconi, Sergio Muro and Javier Olivera.


Synthesis. Susi Vetter.


Susi Vetter. Momentum

Date: Wednesday 5 March 16:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The intervention Momentum by the German artist Susi Vetter explores the concept of the Anthropocene through an augmented reality piece developed specifically for the environment of the fair's entrance. In this work, imaginary plants, flowers and a humanoid face emerge from the ground, blending harmoniously with the surrounding nature, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that becomes unsettling when the creature begins to shed tears as it looks at us. This change creates discomfort and invites us to question the relationship between man and nature.

The artist will share the process behind the creation of this piece, explaining how she used augmented reality to merge the virtual with the physical, and how this technology allows her to create an immersive and interactive experience. In addition, during the meeting Susi Vetter will show other pieces of her work and reflect on the evolution of her work over time, with a particular focus on the impact of Momentum for Art Madrid'25. She will also discuss her creative process, sharing her working methods, and talk about the relevance of art in difficult times, considering the important role that art plays in complex times, without going into politics, a subject she has been reflecting on recently.


About Susi Vetter

Susi Vetter is an illustrator and multimedia artist based in Berlin, Germany. Her work focuses on creating immersive stories that blur the boundaries between physical and digital realities. She uses tools such as the web, augmented reality and projection mapping to create thought-provoking interactive experiences that transform the viewer's perception.


Book Jockey. Helena Goñi.


Helena Goñi. Bookjockey

Date: Wednesday 5 March 17:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The presentation is part of a new and experimental format known as BookJockey, a unique experience designed to show and enjoy photobooks in an innovative way. Like a DJ session, where songs are mixed and matched to create a unique atmosphere, a BookJockey session consists of showing and mixing photobooks to create an immersive visual narrative.

In this case, the author has carefully selected some of her most outstanding publications, including the project available at https://helenagoni.com/project/works-2020-2021/ and a new publication soon to be released. Throughout the experience, the public will be invited to feel and enjoy the books in a unique and dynamic format that invites interaction and enjoyment of photographic art in a fresh and experiential way.


About Helena Goñi

Helena Goñi (b. 1990) is an artist and photobook enthusiast from the Basque Country (Spain), based in Brooklyn since 2021. She works with analogue photographic processes, sometimes incorporating video and writing. Her images are somewhere between a performative approach to photography and a spontaneous snapshot, portraying people and places that the artist encounters in her daily life.


Intervención sonora. Paula Lafuente.


Paula Lafuente. Sound intervention

Date: Thursday 6 March 13:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The proposal to create a video collage of different projects for the lecture aims to create an immersive and visually dynamic experience that reinforces the central sonic action. The incorporation of a sound approach aims to deepen the conceptual narrative of the presentation, adding an auditory dimension that reinforces the emotional resonance of the projects presented. In addition, the use of specific costumes helps to contextualize the action, adding an extra layer of meaning and enriching the overall experience. This combination of visual, auditory and symbolic elements aims to create a coherent and profound interaction for the audience.


About Paula Lafuente

Paula Lafuente (Madrid, 1983) is an artist, psychotherapist and independent researcher. She has presented exhibitions and interventions in national spaces such as La Casa Encendida, Art Madrid and Festival PROYECTOR, as well as in international cities such as Mexico DF, Oaxaca, Birmingham and Coimbra. She has also published and presented her work in conferences and academic journals of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and other institutions. She holds a Doctorate cum laude in Research in Humanities, Art and Education from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, with a thesis on desire in body art. Lafuente is also an expert in various disciplines of psychotherapy and currently works as a psychotherapist and content creator at Beta Vitae.


Olga Mesa. Retrospective. CGAC. Galicia. 2023.


Olga Mesa. Cuaderno de notas fílmicas: Prácticas (no) visibles del cuerpOperador

Date: Thursday 6 March 16:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

In Cuaderno de notas fílmicas: Prácticas (no) visibles del cuerpOperador, the artist invents a practice to learn to breathe while writing: thinking and speaking at the same time. He insists on this spontaneous and sonorous act of writing out loud what he is thinking. Later, he might activate the 'REC' and move around, camera in hand, looking for a new shot in the sequence. He will think big to do small things. He will feel the distance between his hand and his heart (that dark object of desire).

The operating body will always be a necessary body, as will the voice. The journey of eternal return and the return to origin will be present. Dream, war and childhood will be part of his work as well as his hand dance. You will see yourself again, watching a miniature war, but this time you will not be lying in a corner. In the end, this 'own table' under construction will create a constellation of dreams and presences that will transport the spectators to a horizon of resistance(s) on a human and intimate scale. The artist wants to write this encounter in the 'present body'. This is how they will begin: without an image, with a 'black-out' and in silence.


About Olga Mesa

Olga Mesa is a leading choreographer and visual artist in Spanish contemporary dance whose work fuses dance, performance, visual art, film and installation. Throughout her career she has explored the relationship between the body, the camera and the construction of the gaze, using her body as a tool for vision and narrative. She has created notable pieces such as Lugares Intermedios and El lamento de Blancanieves, and has been recognised for her innovative work in dance and audiovisuals. She has also directed the company Hors Champ // Fuera de Campo with the artist Francisco Ruiz de Infante, with whom she created the tetralogy Carmen // Shakespeare. Throughout her career, she has been awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. Her most recent works include A Table of One's Own (hand dance) and large-scale projects such as Shooting the waves.


This is how my things are these days. Elena Arroyo.


Elena Arroyo. This is how my things are these days

Date: Friday 7 March 13:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The proposed action is based on a performative adaptation of the video letter between the Japanese artists Shuntaro Tanikawa and Shuji Terayama, in which they reflect on identity, the body, the word and the image. In the performance, the space delineated on the floor becomes a place where objects fall, where a process of symbolic nudity is simulated, revealing existential questions about who we are and what it means to be. The action is recorded and projected in real time, questioning the relationship between the physical and the represented and inviting audience participation and reflection. The work adapts and improvises, incorporating elements from the correspondence between the artists and the performer's own practice.


About Elena Arroyo

Elena Arroyo is an artist, performer and film maker. She studied Communication, Film, Photography and Contemporary Art. Some of what she studied interested her, others not. For a while she made some pieces, not many, in her own way: short pieces on the edge of narrative, on the edge of experimental, on the edge of conceptual. Some of them had more scope than others. None of them are important. During this time he worked on independent films made by friends. He would go to their homes to work, and from then on he would go through their libraries. He watched and read what was filmed and written, and what was neither filmed nor written. He also tended gardens, fell in love, travelled, became ill, was cured, fell out of love, moved, woke up.


Skin Film. Deneb Martos.


Deneb Martos. Being Mushroom

Date: Friday 7 March 17:00h

Venue: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The artist Deneb Martos will offer an in-depth reflection on her creative processes through an optical and haptic journey through the different works and materials that make up her artistic universe. This activity will focus in particular on his latest creation, Being Mushroom, in which Martos will explain the different formations, production processes and key aspects of the film. She will also explore the genesis of the work and the method of creative accompaniment that guided its development, inviting participants to an immersive experience in her practice.


About Deneb Martos

Deneb Martos Marcos (Madrid, 1975) is a visual artist and teacher specialising in camera-less photography and experimental film. With a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid, she has worked with leading figures such as Javier Vallhonrat and Francisco López, exploring the intersection between art, philosophy and science. Her work, which investigates the physical phenomenon of the image through analogue processes, has been exhibited at international festivals and venues such as the Akademie der Künste (Berlin), Matadero Madrid and FILMADRID. She has also been a coordinator and teacher at La Casa Encendida for over 20 years and has collaborated with institutions such as PhotoESPAÑA and the Cerezales Foundation. Her work has been recognised at international conferences and meetings in Europe and Latin America.


La Pagoda de Fisac II. Amaya Hernández.


Amaya Hernández. About the Fisac Pagoda and the Olavide Market

Date: Saturday 8 March 13:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The artist will share her working process with the public, inviting them to explore the buildings of the Fisac Pagoda and the Olavide Market in an immersive way. Visitors will be able to navigate through 3D models of these buildings using Cinema 4D software, which allows for easy and detailed navigation. Some will be able to interact with the models directly from their computers, while others will be able to view the details of the buildings on a screen.


About Amaya Hernández

Amaya Hernández is a visual artist and teacher. She was born and currently lives in Madrid. She has a Doctorate in Fine Arts, a degree in Film Photography Direction and a Master's Degree in Photography. Throughout her career she has received prestigious awards and grants for her work, such as Generaciones de Caja Madrid, Bancaja Digital Art Prize, INJUVE Prize, Circuitos de las Artes Plásticas de la Comunidad de Madrid and grants for creation in the visual arts from the Comunidad de Madrid and Madrid City Council, among others. Her work has been exhibited in institutions and museums such as La Casa Encendida, El Círculo de Bellas Artes, Centro Cultural Conde Duque, IVAM (in Valencia) and MAC (in A Coruña). She has participated in international festivals such as the Guadalajara International Book Festival in Mexico (FIL) and the International Video Art Festival 'Now&After' in Moscow. His work can be found in the art collections of Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, CA2M, Fundación Bancaja and Fundación Montemadrid, among others.


Geometric Maternity. Guillermo G. Peydró & Jeanne de Petriconi.


Guillermo G. Peydró & Jeanne de Petriconi. Geometric Maternity

Date: Saturday 8 March 17:00h

Place: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The video sculpture 'Geometric Maternity', co-authored by Guillermo G. Peydró and Jeanne de Petriconi, will be located in a corner of the space, with headphones available for the public to listen to individually. At the same time, Guillermo G. Peydró will give a commentary tour of fragments of his work projected on the main screen. As the authorship of the video sculpture is shared, it is appropriate that the event is developed as a duo. While the audience interacts with the video sculpture, Guillermo G. Peydró will present on the main screen examples of his research into the filming of art, with a particular focus on Jeanne's works, such as Architectomie#1 and En contre-plongée, la mer. Jeanne de Petriconi, for her part, will be able to comment on the filmed sculptures and share her own creative process.


About Guillermo G. Peydró & Jeanne de Petriconi

Guillermo G. Peydró

Filmmaker, programmer and teacher with a PhD in Art History. His audiovisual essays on sculpture (El Jardín Imaginario, 2012), painting (Las Variaciones Guernica, 2012), architecture (La Ciudad del Trabajo, 2015) or literature (El Retablo de las Maravillas, 2021) have been screened at the Louvre, Museo Reina Sofía, Bard College, Instituto Cervantes or CSIC, and analysed in academic publications in half a dozen countries; Since 2016 he has also been working on extended cinema exhibition projects with the French sculptor Jeanne de Petriconi. As a programmer, he has worked at the Punto de Vista and Documenta Madrid festivals, and has produced independent programmes for the Filmoteca Española, Museo Reina Sofía, Círculo de Bellas Artes and Filmoteca de Catalunya. As a teacher, he has given courses at universities and film schools in Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Uruguay and Ecuador, and is currently a full-time lecturer at the Complutense University of Madrid. His book 'El cine sobre arte. De la dramatización de la pintura al cine-ensayo' (Shangrila, 2019) is the result of a decade of research in international archives on the creative possibilities of filming art.

Jeanne de Petriconi

Jeanne de Petriconi is a French sculptor who lives and works between Madrid and Bastia (Corsica). She graduated in sculpture/installation from the ENSAD in Paris in 2009 and has won several awards, including the Best Young Artist Mention of the International Art Laguna Prize in 2010 and the Georges Wildenstein Prize of the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris in 2013. She has held residencies in several countries and participated in major exhibitions such as the Moscow International Biennale (2010 and 2012) and institutions such as the Musée de la Mémoire Vivante in Canada. He has presented his work in prestigious venues such as the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid and the Musée de Bastia. In 2020, she inaugurated her first public commission in Bastia, and in 2023 she created a mural with a message of homage to a victim of vicarious violence, as well as being included in the dictionary Histoire de la Sculpture en Corse aux XIXème et XXème siècles.


Masterpiece. Sergio Muro. Photo by Ocara.


Sergio Muro. Masterpiece

Date: Sunday 9 March 13:00h

Venue: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The city, with its fast pace, absorbs us and the daily routine tends to depersonalise us. Humanising the space in which we live and strengthening our personal relationships should be fundamental objectives in our lives. It would be disheartening to think that we pass through existence without leaving a meaningful mark. Giving meaning to our lives means transcending through our actions, improving our surroundings, whether urban, environmental or personal. Why not think of ourselves as a masterpiece in constant process and evolution?


About Sergio Muro

Sergio Muro (Zaragoza, 1974) is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in art history, heritage management and graphic arts. Throughout his career he has produced more than 150 international performances in cities such as London, New York, Venice and Tokyo, and has curated more than 100 exhibitions. He has participated in solo exhibitions in leading institutions such as the Pablo Serrano Museum, the IAACC Museum and the CAI Foundation, and has been selected for international events such as ARCO and the Huesca International Film Fair. His work has won several awards, including the Ahora de las Artes Visuales prize and the Pollock Gallery Video Performance Competition. He has received artistic residencies and international grants, and has directed performative performances and festivals. Muro has also published several books, including 'Life is a Performance' and '100 Tips for Being an Artist'. He has also worked as cultural manager for initiatives such as Burgos 2031 and has participated in the creation of murals and urban art projects. His work is included in prestigious collections and he has worked to promote and disseminate contemporary art through his work in education and cultural management.


From eyes to eyes. Javier Olivera.


Javier Olivera. From eyes to eyes

Date: Sunday 9 March 17:00h

Venue: Espacio Tectónica. Booth D3

The face is presented as a map of identity, a unique combination of skin, bones, muscles and holes that seeks to highlight its particularity in a crowd, a sea of otherness. Two gazes intersect in the crowd, creating a dialogue in which looking at the other becomes a way of questioning ourselves, in a game of mirrors that defines us. For the artist, the face has been and continues to be an object of study, approached through various media and formats such as drawing, photography, video installation and film, exploring its transformation, manipulation and alteration. Through the twisting of the face image, the artist seeks keys to define its ontological and identity value, while rescuing its semblance as a poetic space, both individual and universal. In this encounter, the artist will take a journey through his work, citing authors and references that have influenced his process, culminating in the participation of the audience, making them an active part of the work.


About Javier Olivera

Javier Olivera (Argentina, 1969) is a visual artist and filmmaker. Since 1990, he has developed a body of work that includes paintings, photographs, single-channel videos, video installations, films, and artist’s books. His work explores the relationship between memory and culture as fundamental elements in shaping identity. He applies both craft and technological skills, acquired in the industrial fields of cinema and television, to an independent production methodology, ensuring an authorial discourse and a continuous formal exploration. In film, he wrote and directed the fiction feature El visitante (1999) and the documentaries Mika, mi guerra de España (2013), La sombra (2015), La extraña. Notas sobre el (auto) exilio (2018), Una habitación en Bangkok (2025), and La piel (2025). His films, primarily audiovisual essays, have been screened at international festivals and exhibitions, including MOMA (New York), Viennale (Austria), BAFICI (Buenos Aires), and Márgenes (Spain), among others.


The Cycle of Interventions: 20 Grados serves as a platform for deep reflection on the transformative power of art in urban spaces. Through this project, audiences are invited to rethink the relationship between art, public space, and the community, fostering an ongoing dialogue that inspires new ways of understanding and inhabiting the city.