Julia Isidrez
Bio
Julia Isidrez was born in 1967 in the city of Ita, 40 km from the city of Asunción -Paraguay.
She learned the trade early as she was the daughter of the renowned ceramist Juana Marta Rodas (1925-2013), following the tradition of the Guarani artisans of transmitting this practice from mothers to daughters in a professional way.
She exhibited since she was a child: (1976) Unesco Gallery; (1992,1993,1996) Fabrica Gallery, Asunción, (1995,1997) Lamarca Gallery, Asunción, (1998,1999) CAV Museo del Barro, Asunción. In (1999) Mercosur Biennial, Porto Alegre, (2007) ARCO Fair, Madrid, (2008) 35th edition of the International Exhibition of Traditional Crafts, Santiago de Chile, (2009) Museum of Crafts, Corrientes, (2009) Santiago Triennial From Chile,
(2013) Documenta from Kassel, Germany.
He received the first prize at the Martel Biennial of Contemporary Art in 1994, and in 1999 he won the Prince Claus Fund Prize in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Julia teaches the potter's trade to women and students in the cities of Ita and Areguá, as well as at the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Art at UNA thanks to the initiative of UN Women and the support of the Itaù Foundation.
Statement
Preserving ancestral techniques, capturing his imagination and melting his hands in the black clay, with intense dedication he creates neat pieces of art. His technique comes from the Guarani, the same one used by his mother and great-grandmother. "It consists of using clay rolls to form the works. The preparation of the clay is done with the feet and with the hands it is brought to life, using elements to refine the finish such as spoons, tacuara utensils and sticks for finishing the smaller pieces, the peculiar touch of color is obtained thanks to the smoke that emerges from the mango leaves, passing through the oven at the ideal temperature, the last step to the final luster.The potter won several national and international awards and it is a Country brand declared by the National Government.
