- By
- Kevin Greenberg
GARRIDO GALLERY
Brother and sister Juan and Paloma Garrido’s arresting furniture exists at the crossroads of art and design, nature and technology, elegance and brutality, luxury and utility.
Raised in Spain and influenced by the work of Modernist sculptural titans such as Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza, the Garridos arrived at their current joint practice by way of a wandering path. Both brother and sister began their studies in various facets of business and marketing, but soon were drawn back to a deep-seated family tradition: silversmithing.
Despite the sleek elegance of the Garridos’ creations, their process is rooted in the hallmarks of a hallowed tradition of metalworking: they were raised in the workshop of their father, the master silversmith Damián Garrido, who instilled in them a love of working in silver, with all of its rigorous demands for control and finely honed technique.
Stark and architectonic, simultaneously referencing the crystalline structures of nature and the forceful gestures of Brutalist buildings, the Garridos’ designs seem a world away from the hand- hammering and tooling of traditional silverwork. But the siblings quickly point out that their process is, in fact, rooted in age-old ways of creating.
“We use the processes used by traditional silversmiths in the creation of our contemporary work,” Juan emphasizes. “We update those techniques through the use of the most current technology in order to create shapes and forms which we incorporate into new pieces.”
Their bond as siblings adds a unique symbiosis to their creative process. “As a brother and sister team, we work together to analyze each new design and optimize its functionality, its purity of form, and its æsthetic appeal to the viewer or user,” Juan explains.
“We are inspired by organic forms in architecture and geography and we love to play with curve and line to give each piece its own distinctive dynamism,” Paloma chimes in. “All these aspects are linked to the quality and finishing that we apply in each piece. As our father instilled in us, if you have executed a beautiful design, but the quality is unexceptional, the final result will be compromised.”
The design world has taken notice, and the siblings have swiftly responded, pursuing new avenues for their work at home and abroad.
As the duo’s practice grows, they stress that they’re interested in embracing new challenges resulting from the increased demand for their work and the inherent production it will require. They’re quick to note, however, that they plan to stay true to their roots.
“We want to incorporate new inspirations,” Juan states, “developing them into as-yet-unimagined lines and collections to continue our evolution.”
For more information, please visit GarridoGallery.com.
- By
- Kevin Greenberg
