DESIGNER JANUARY 2022 PERU

Iwas born in the district of Tingo, Luya province, On May 31, 2019 we inaugurated our physical sto- Amazonas region on February 28, 1977 I learned re here in Chachapoyas located in Jirón Ama- to make Crafts because my parents also did it, My zonas 371 at the height of the church of Burgos. Mother with the backstrap weaving technique and And since 2015 we have been participating con- my Father with different branches such as ceramic secutively until the date of the Ruraq Maky fair wood carving and use of other materials I was always We also have our virtual store motivated by wood and in 1995 I discovered the sha- https://geraldvaldez.ruraqmaki.pe/ pe of the walnut seed by giving it a cross cut with a In 2020 the Ministry of Culture acquires 4 pieces manual saw and it was precisely when I was finishing of „Gerald Valdez Arte en Nogal” for exhibition and a wooden chest and I was encouraged to apply the se- dissemination at the National Museum of Culture, eds as veneer, being very happy with the final product. which makes us proud that our work is part of the To work the walnut seed, I had to design tools, National Heritage. because there was no such thing as a vertical cross-cut machine on the market, which shows 10.01.2021 Stockholm that the seed had never been worked before. Proud of our discovery, we work with people from pe- asant communities who provide us with the raw ma- terial for our work, creating a circular economy pro- moting their conservation of the walnut tree through proper management of workshop waste, with which we prepare seedlings to plant, and increase more wal- nut trees in the region. I dared to use my work to make a ring holder from the same seed and ask what is now my wife to marry me. She is a teacher and makes cho- colates with the walnut that by the way are very nice. We celebrate our birthdays by planting walnut trees and we celebrate life alive and obviously the cake is Walnut. In 2018 I participated in the national craft inno- vation contest and got the honorable mention. In2019weelaborateproductsdesignedbyErikaZielinski such as chest lamps, to decorate Casacor environments. In 2020 I participated in the National Birth Con- test organized by (ICTYS) and obtained the re- cognition of the public with the first place with the electronic vote and third place by the Jury. On September 4, 2021, the Provincial Muni- cipal of Chachapoyas welcomed the Blas Va- lera Medal in recognition of our work. DESIGNER 100

DESIGNER 101 GERALD VALDEZ/ DESIGNER JANUARY 2022/ STOCKHOLM

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“UN CAMINO DE ARTE COBRIZO” DANIEL ALEJANDRO CUENCA DESIGNER 103

DANIEL ALEJANDRO CUENCA/ DESIGNER JANUARY 2022/ STOCKHOLM Daniel Alejandro Cuenca nació en Pichanal, una firma. Demoró dos años en tejer cuatro kilogramos de localidad del departamento de Orán, en la pro- cobre y trabajó varias horas por día para poder lograrlo. vincia de Salta, República Argentina, un 11 de marzo de 1983. Se ha presentado en cuatro exposiciones. La última fue Sus padres, Ana y Miguel, criaron y educaron con mu- en Salta. Han apreciado su trabajo como algo novedoso, cho amor a sus ocho hijos; él es el cuarto. nunca visto. Muchos han opinado que su producción reúne las tres manifestaciones del arte: pintura, escul- Cursó sus estudios primarios en la escuela Reconquista, tura y dibujo. en su pueblo natal, al igual que el secundario técnico, que no pudo terminar porque era necesario salir a tra- Ninguna obra creada es igual a otra; es única. Hay una bajar. historia detrás de cada una que implica una conexión entre ella y el artista, que no se puede explicar; hay que Desde los ocho años, comenzó a hacer artesanías con sentirlo. Las piezas dicen mucho sobre su creador. El el- madera, hilos y alambre de cobre que su padre le daba, las se reflejan sus emociones, tanto la tristeza como la ya que hacía refrigeración y lo sacaba de los motores de alegría o la nostalgia por la distancia que lo separa de las heladeras. su familia. Lo mismo sucede con la inspiración. Sólo hay que empezar a tejer el cobre y… la obra sale sola. No había Internet y poca era la comunicación. Se inició solo en el camino de este arte, que se volvió su pasión. Elegir el arte como una forma de vida es un gran desafío personal. El camino del artista requiere dedicación, cre- Por razones de trabajo viajó a la provincia de Tucumán. atividad y una buena dosis de pasión por su obra que Allí encontró el apoyo y orientación de la señora María quiere compartir, pero a la vez, atesorar para sí porque del Carmen Servino, encargada del Centro Cultural Eu- es parte de su historia. genio Virla, donde hizo su primera exposición. Gracias a esta señora tuvo la posibilidad de terminar su secun- 03.01.2021 Stockholm dario e ingresar a la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, donde actualmente cursa quinto año de la Licenciatura For more information click the link below de Lutería. En este, su mundo, continúa desarrollando destrezas y habilidades. https://thedesigner.se/en/un-camino-de-arte-cobrizo- -daniel-alejandro-cuenca/ No ha dejado de expresarse en el arte haciendo piezas con alambre de cobre que teje con pinzas. Ha investi- gado y perfeccionado su técnica de tejido. Comenzó di- señando piezas pequeñas, como alhajeros (un mes de trabajo), jarrones, floreros… que requirieron menos trabajo porque no son tan complicadas. Cuando cursó el secundario y se contactó con las cultu- ras precolombinas americanas, se identificó con ellas y se emocionó, porque sus piezas artísticas tienen mucho de esas culturas y él lo desconocía. Entonces, decidió hacer su máxima obra hasta el mo- mento: el calendario maya. Intercaló distintas tonalida- des de cobre para que se pueda apreciar bien los di- bujos. En algunas partes ha dejado el cobre natural, sin esmaltar, para que la naturaleza también estampe su DESIGNER 104

DESIGNER 105 DANIEL ALEJANDRO CUENCA/ DESIGNER JANUARY 2022/ STOCKHOLM

Daniel Alejandro Cuenca was born in Pichanal, a zed, so that nature will also stamp its signature. It town in the department of Orán, in the province took him two years to weave four kilograms of cop- of Salta, Argentine Republic, on March 11, 1983. per and worked several hours a day to achieve it. His parents, Ana and Miguel, raised and raised his eight It has been featured in four exhibitions. The last children with great love; he is the fourth. was in Salta. They have appreciated his work as so- mething new, never seen. Many have opined that his production brings together the three manife- He completed his primary studies at the Reconquista stations of art: painting, sculpture and drawing. school, in his hometown, as well as the technical secon- dary, which he could not finish because it was necessary No created work is the same as another; it is unique. The- to go out to work. re is a story behind each one that implies a connection between her and the artist, which cannot be explained; you have to feel it. The pieces say a lot about their creator. From the age of eight, he began to make handicrafts They reflect his emotions, both sadness and joy or nostal- with wood, copper wire and wire that his father gave gia for the distance that separates him from his family. him, since he made refrigeration and took it out of the The same is true of inspiration. You just have to start we- refrigerator motors. aving the copper and ... the work comes out on its own. There was no Internet and little was communication. He started alone on the path of this art, which became Choosing art as a way of life is a great personal chal- his passion. lenge. The artist’s path requires dedication, creati- vity and a good dose of passion for his work that he wants to share, but at the same time, to tre- For work reasons he traveled to the province of Tu- asure for himself because it is part of his history. cumán. There he found the support and guidance of Mrs. María del Carmen Servino, in charge of the Eu- 03.01.2021 Stockholm genio Virla Cultural Center, where he made his first exhibition. Thanks to this lady, he had the opportunity to finish his secondary school and enter the National University of Tucumán, where he is currently in the fifth year of his Lutheran Bachelor’s Degree. In this, his world, he continues to develop skills and abilities. He has not stopped expressing himself in art, making pieces with copper wire that he weaves with tweezers. He has researched and perfected his weaving technique. He started designing small pieces, such as jewelry boxes (one month’s work), vases, vases ... which required less work because they are not so complicated. When he attended high school and got in touch with pre-Columbian American cultures, he identified with them and was moved, because his artistic pieces have a lot of those cultures and he was unaware of it. So, he decided to do his greatest work yet: the May- an calendar. He interspersed different shades of cop- per so that the drawings can be well appreciated. In some places he has left the natural copper, ungla- DESIGNER 106

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DANIEL ALEJANDRO CUENCA/ DESIGNER JANUARY 2022/ STOCKHOLM DESIGNER 108 DANIEL ALEJANDRO CUENCA

THANK YOU VERY MUCH SOPHIA FOR YOUR SUPPORT MANY THANKS TO ALL ARTISTS

SOPHIA CALVO/ THE GENERAL MENAGER OF THE DESIGNER PERU