Drawing inspiration from a Spanish bull, this custom-made piece for The Madrid EDITION is hand-crafted using artisanal techniques, braided in esparto grass and sewn with twine thread in Madrid by Spanish artisan and restorer Javier S. Medina.
Spanish artist Javier S. Medina has been a self-taught artisan since 2008, when he started exploring the creative field in Madrid. His deep dive into the arts brought to the surface memories of his grandfather in Extremadura, to the west of Spain. When Javier was a child, he would play in his grandparents’ courtyard and would observe his grandfather braiding bulrush and using esparto grass to fix blinds and chairs around the house.
Inspired by these traditional techniques and using tools that same tools that belonged to his grandfather and dad, Javier gained recognition for his ‘ecological trophies’, a collection of one-of-a-kind decorative animal heads created with natural fibers and materials such as bamboo, wicker and esparto grass. His work at his atelier, which opened in 2013 in the Madrilenian neighborhood of Malasaña, revolves around designing sustainable art combined with his family’s heritage.