Julio Loaiza and Cristian Real: Weaving as Cultural Resistance and a Driver of Community

This Saturday, 24 October, you’ll have the opportunity to discover Julio Loaiza’s projects and enjoy a performance accompanied by Cristian Real at Urban Talks #10. At the intersection of traditional craftsmanship, contemporary art and community action, the work of Catalan artist Cristian Real and Venezuelan artist Julio Loaiza maps out a global landscape of cultural resistance. Both creators understand weaving and plant fibres not merely as utilitarian objects, but as living languages capable of healing territories, preserving memory and building social connections.

Julio Loaiza develops an expanded artistic practice encompassing sculpture, basketry and performance. Through initiatives such as Macolla Creativa, founded in 2014 as an independent, associative model conceived as Caracas’s “artistic incubator”, he promotes the decentralisation of production, the circular economy and community collaboration through more than 40 residencies and grants managed through a self-financing model. His work also engages directly with ancestral knowledge through projects with significant ecological and social impact, such as working with the invasive bora plant alongside the Warao people in the Amacuro Delta, and safeguarding the Carana palm on Margarita Island.

Furthermore, on Saturday, 31 October, he will lead the Woven Masks: Body, Memory and Territory workshop at La Plataforma Gallery, an initiative combining contemporary basketry, sculpture and performance. Through the collective creation of woven masks, participants will explore memory, local stories and territorial knowledge, examining the relationship between weaving and the body. The workshop is open to everyone and no previous experience is required.

Meanwhile, Cristian Real, who settled in Sant Pere de Ribes after leaving traditional shoemaking, transformed wicker and cane into pieces that engage with contemporary life. His perspective transcends borders by connecting local basketry with distant realities through projects such as Sonall Catalán. This immersive performance-based work connects Venezuelan petroglyphs, specifically the twin figures of Guri, with traditional Catalan rattles, inviting the public to participate actively in public space through coexistence and mutual support.

Both Real and Loaiza demonstrate that art and craftsmanship share the same challenges across oceans. Through oral transmission, education and collective creation, they transform the act of weaving into a space of freedom, beauty and community. If you want to discover more about their work and explore their projects first-hand, don’t miss Urban Talks #10!

• Design Museum of Barcelona (DHub)
• 24 October
• 5:30–6 pm: Performance
• 6–7 pm: Presentation of the Macolla Creativa project