A journey through this magical Colombian encounter
ExpoArtesanías is a Latin American artisanal fair from Colombia that proposes since the 90’s, with two different versions each year, to give greater reach to the talented hands of the artisans of their country. A fair made up of a collection of stands, where in each one you can find an artisan or an indigenous community from a different corner of this country known and reputed for its diversity. Let me give you a glimpse of what I believe is the most authentic and rich place in South America.
It was by getting lost in this labyrinth of stands that I met some of the people that made up this fair in 2022. Aizama, an indigenous Embera women from the Wera Kakuita reservation. Jesus Ceballos artisan from San Juan de Pasto, Luz Germania from the Guambiana Community, Bayon Aspilla Diaz from the amazon jungle and Blanca from the Gulf of Urabá. All of them were thrilled to share with me their journey, their knowledge and their life around their craft. They are the ones responsible of filling this fair with an infinite amount of objects rich in tradition, stories, colours and textures.
The materials and artisanal techniques from this South American artisanal fair
Basketry, carvings in Amazonian woods, varnish from Pasto, weaving in wool, cottons, cumares, werregüe, seeds and beads. It would be impossible to name each technique and each material…The following collection of images would be just a broad outline of what you could find in this place of endless corridors.
“Walking through ExpoArtesanías is like traveling through Colombia, you cross over rivers and mountains between each stand.”
Guambiana Community
Why buy at ExpoArtesanías? Or any Latin American artisanal fair for that matter…
Because as a Colombian textile designer I believe that it is through the promotion of craftsmanship and the preservation of the hands of artisans that we can resist the insatiable times and productions of the fashion industry. This industry is running an accelerated race with a discouraging course, marked by its lack of environmental and social awareness. Meanwhile, artisans weave to the rhythm of nature and its harvests. They are interested in establishing a responsible and careful relationship with the environment to perpetuate circular, slow and conscious productions. Today in 2024, I believe that it is through the support and promotion of spaces like ExpoArtesanías that we as designers can imagine sustainable proposals for the future and as consumers find responsible alternatives.
In their December 2022 issue I was tasked with furnishing a studio apartment. This task became very easy with all the richness of textures and colours of the fair I could choose from to create this space. But most importantly, I could assure that each product came from ethic labour and conscious production. I am committed to continue showing special Latin American artisanal fairs like this one, with the objective of giving you, the conscious consumer, a catalog of objects that you can access from whatever is the corner of the world you are reading this from.
When is the next ExpoArtesanías fair coming up?
ExpoArtesanías is definitely an exceptional encounter! It gives you the chance to travel Colombia from the artisan’s point of view, from the point of view of those who narrate our territory with their hands and whose goal every day is to preserve everything that identifies us. I will be making my third visit this year in its edition No. 15 ‘LA MEMORIA’ in Medellin from July 5 to 14, 2024. The countdown to the date and all the information to buy your tickets can be found here:
https://plazamayor.com.co/eventos/expoartesano-la-memoria-2024/
If you can’t make it to this edition of this latin american artisanal fair, don’t worry too much, I will be there to offer you an insider look. Follow our instagram https://www.instagram.com/nudopuntada/ to be the first to get a peek.
For those interested in further exploring Latin American textiles and questioning what characterizes a “luxury” textile, I invite you to read the blog post: Can we redefine ‘luxury textiles’ through comparing what these mean in Latin America versus in Europe? https://nudoypuntada.com/en/redefine-luxury-textiles-latin-america-vs-europe/