The Exvotos
In the heart of Seville, between narrow cobblestone streets, a multi-discipline workshop does not stop its work. Two well-traveled artists, with Lisbon and Venetian backgrounds, shape, among other pieces, their vessel heads, and always through the “slow work” philosophy.
Craftsmanship and art have been hybridized between the walls of this studio for more than twenty years where the imagination of these two creators has no limits. Sculpture, ceramics, design, textiles, painting, and decoration merge in some way to produce limited editions of his work. Unique objects, like them.
Luciano and Daniel tell glù, freshly and informally, a little more about their life and work: glù, de una forma fresca e informal, un poco más acerca de su vida y obra:
Hello Luciano and Daniel, why “The Exvotos”?
An Exvoto is an offering to the gods for favors received, it is an object, an icon very present in the representations of popular religiosity that is one of our main sources of inspiration.
In addition to the container heads, which are so successful, do you personally have a favorite design? If so, what is it and why?
We love all our “children” equally, each creation is one more of the family and we live in love with our work and, therefore, also with its fruits.
Can we apply the expression “respect for the planet” or “sustainability” in any process of your work?
Throughout the process, we can say that we respect the planet and it is sustainable. The materials we use are organic so their degradation is natural, and all the surplus from production is properly recycled so that it can serve us again in a new piece.
Which world artist (living or not) would you go for “cañas and tapas” with in Seville?
We would pick Velázquez, this is his year and we would love him to tell us about his art and how he knew how to position himself. To complete the gang, the great Lola Flores, two geniuses.
What is your favorite area in your job?
We love the entire process that takes us to make a piece. The day we decided to dedicate ourselves (body and soul) to this profession we swore to do what we wanted and that's what we are doing, but Daniel's great pleasure is the brush and Luciano's is putting his hands in the mud.
Do you intensely remember any specific review that you have received for any of your work?
We all have had bad reviews sometimes, but we have to keep the good things about people, work, and ourselves. The best opinion is when clients tell us, upon receiving a piece, that it is much more beautiful there than what they had seen in the pictures.
It is not necessary to insist on the benefits of living in Seville, but is there any specific reason why your workshop is located in the city?
Seville is a big city that receives a lot of people, but at the same time, its quality of life is like that of a town.
At glù, we are excited by both the products and the people behind them. What motivates you about each other professionally?
We have values that we share such as responsibility, order, and common sense, and another that complements each other such as spontaneity (Daniel) and measure (Luciano) that make the two of us a perfect team to work with.
Do you have any hobbies outside of work?
Of course, we love traveling, cinema, nature, and meeting friends, we practice rowing and take long walks. We cannot say that all of this is outside of work because these practices give us inspiration for our profession which is part of our life. It is like being in a convent, you are a nun 24/7.
Where does your furthest buyer/customer reside?
We haven't measured it, but we think the furthest one is in Sydney.
How do you see yourself in ten years? And to The Exvotos?
We live in the present, we love being in the now and, at most, nine more months due to agenda issues.
Can you leave us a question for the next protagonist to answer?
There you go: what is your biggest fear?
