Teresa Estapé: Contemporary jewellery
His work is part of the MACBA collection and has been exhibited at the Kunst Haus in Vienna, Tsukuba University in Tokyo and the Havana Biennial, among other places.
Teresa Estapé has a long career in the world of art and jewellery. Born in Barcelona, with a degree in Law and Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and a diploma in jewellery from the Massana School, her artistic practice combines jewellery, sculpture and installation and graphic arts.
The jewellery by Teresa Estapé are emotional and symbolic objects. The creation process highlights the value of the noble material from which they are made, always in an artisanal way, without using moulds, serialisation or baths of other metals. These minimal and silent creations aim to restore the jewel to its original value, seeking to turn it into an amulet. The creation begins in a process in which all the accessories are slowly subtracted until they are left in their essence, trying to say the maximum with the minimum. The pieces are produced by hand one by one, with precision and care from his workshop in Barcelona. Each series or family has been created under a concept of work matured over time, understanding jewellery as an artistic discipline, beyond craftsmanship or design. This makes their jewellery an emotionally valuable object for the wearer.
Tell us about yourself and your work. Where did your vocation start? Any first memories?
My work moves between jewellery and visual arts. I studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona and Artistic Jewellery at the Massana School. Since I was a child I have been surrounded by two very creative women, lovers of aesthetics and art: my mother and my grandmother. My first memories are of both of them and their rich aesthetic universes.
What do you find most satisfying about your work, and any that you are particularly proud of?
Creating is an inexhaustible source of happiness. I am very happy with the art installation at MACBA: with it I have managed, through a formalisation akin to jewellery, to enter the world of art to talk about the dichotomy between price and value.
What is your creative process like, what are your sources of inspiration, any particular music while working?
My gaze is always working. Since I was a child I have been a tremendous observer. Everything I have observed, read and visited, rests and emerges little by little in my pieces. I always work in silence.
Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order! ;D
Yellow.
One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Blade Runner.
The rhythm of the garage by Loquillo (I was a rocker when I was a teenager. I can't remember a record I was more passionate about).
Is your home a reflection of who you are? Tell us what it smells like, your favourite corner, your favourite decorative object or piece of furniture, if you treasure a collection... And if you have a pet, introduce it to us!
Yes, although I have to make practical concessions 😉 My favourite place is the foyer and the light in it: anything you put in there looks like a Vermeer. My favourite piece of furniture is a red vinyl table and 4 chairs from 1950 that my grandfather brought back from the US after living there for more than 15 years.
If you could buy anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!
A small painting by Giorgio Morandi.
A great plan at home always includes...
Conversation and red wine.
Do you have a signature dish?
I love to eat. I don't like to cook.
Where is your favourite place in your city and abroad?
The Ca l'Isidre restaurant and the Cortana shop. Abroad: a lost alley in Venice.
