Tresors 2018 @ The Melting Point – 7 questions to Silvia Serra, interview by Juan Riusech

« TRESORS » (*) is a collective of Spanish artists from Catalonia region. After some successful exhibitions, the 2018 edition is going to Valencia for the Melting Point, the place to be this first half of the year after Schmuck and just before Athens Week.

TRESORS 2018 is curated by Silvia Serra and will show the works of Clara Niubó, Cristina Giménez, Gemma López, Imma Batalla, Isabel Tristán, Juan Riusech, Jordi Aparicio, Lídia Sevilla, Lluís Comín, Marta Roca, Martina Pont, Mònica Fugarolas, Pilar Fraixanet, Sílvia Serra.

TRESORS 2018 will show at The Melting Point, Valencia, from April 26-29th in « Octubre – Centre de Cultura Contemporània » (Carrer Sant Ferran, 12, 46001 València ).

Seven questions to Silvia Serra, founder of Ring-ring BCN Arts & Crafts and « Tresors » collective.

Hi Silvia, what is TRESORS ? How is this group born ? Hi Juan. TRESORS is the vision of the current landscape in the contemporary art jewelry in Catalonia, Spain. From north to south, from east to west, creativity is always present, and this help us to spread the art level of this country. We start here, a morphological dialogue between artists having a different creative language. TRESORS was born in 2016 as a one shot project from my friend jeweler & gallery owner Paola Pérez (Bogota, Colombia). With this friendship, we did a common project involving our both galleries, in both countries. After some time working together, Paula invited me to curate an exhibition of Catalonian jewelry in her gallery in Bogota. Once the selection of artists was done, we organized an exhibition showing 54 works in August 2016

So, it was a one-shot project or is this project still running ? The exhibition in Bogota was a huge success of visitors and medias. This encouraged me to follow with this creative waste. In 2017, TRESORS stayed at home, in the Galeria CONTEXT of  Sant Cugat del Vallès (Catalonia, Spain), and this year we are going to show in the Melting Point (Valencia, Spain) and in the Gallery La Galeller (Sevilla, Spain). So, we can say that TRESORS  is more alive than ever. And I’m thinking about next edition in 2019.

Who are the members of TRESORS ? What is the red thread linking these artists ? TRESORS is not a « classical » collective. In each edition, some members change. In this edition of 2018, we have Lluís Comín, Isabel Tristán, Imma Batalla, Juan Riusech, Clara Niubó, Lídia Sevilla, Cristina Giménez, Mònica Fugarolas, Martina Pont, Gemma López, Pilar Freixanet, Marta Roca, Jordi Aparicio and myself, Sílvia Serra. In the previous editions, we’ve had Eva Pons, Xavier Domènech y Rosa Nogués. For 2019, I’m already thinking about new artists… What links all these artists looking so different, is the constant dedication to this art. This dedication creates a creative flux triggering a country culture. Whether you like it or not, this runs a country oriented creative background.

Who organizes and promotes TRESORS ? What are the future projects ? The starting point of this project is the Gallery RING RING ARTS&CRAFTS BCN, but at this moment, we don’t have a physical gallery. We keep promoting jewelry with projects like this one, out off the walls. I’m the person in charge of the curation and organization of the events of TRESORS. At this moment, all my energy goes to Valencia and Sevilla exhibitions. I’m just starting to think about 2019 edition, but it is only the first beginning. And new proposals are arising ….

TRESORS is a regional movement in Spain. Is there any intention to make this group national and show artists and works from other regions ? For the moment, TRESORS shows the actual jewelry in Catalonia, and/or made by artists from this region. For the moment, this is the identity of TRESORS, peninsular, insular, North, South … This is the origin of TRESORS, and it will continue this way. There is no actually the intention to convert TRESORS into a national movement. This is because there are other similar projects around the country and in the different regions, but not the same way than TRESORS. Some of these projects show punctually jewelry from Catalonia, but I don’t know if the intention is to make this Catalonian jewelry more visible.

What is the criteria of selection to be part of TRESORS ? On the first edition, selection was done together with the gallery in Bogota. After a deep research of jewelers in Catalonia, we decided to guide the choice quite largely. We wanted to show the diversity of styles, concepts and techniques, and all the territories in Catalonia. Actually, selection follows same criteria, but I’m the only one to make the selection. In the three editions, some artists have made a pause or left for private reasons, letting the place to a new artist.

Last question. RING RING ARTS&CRAFTS BCN was a great gallery in Barcelona city center, do you have the intention to open a new place ? Not for the moment, I don’t think so. My personal needs obliged me to take a new path. I don’t know until when, but for the moment I make the RING-RING projects in alternative places. During six years, RING RING ARTS&CRAFTS BCN Gallery dove in a wonderful travel, showing the works of different artists in different disciplines. Now, things have changed and other synergies are waiting for us.

Tresors 2018

(*) TRESORS = Treasures

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