Cristían Mohaded explores Argentinian craft with Territorio Hibrido

Argentine designer Cristián Mohaded’s exhibition, ‘Territorio Híbrido’ (Hybrid Territory), is being showcased at the National Museum of Decorative Art in Buenos Aires. The exhibition comprises the work done by Mohaded alongside expert craftsmen who have mastered the art of using vernacular materials from different regions in Argentina. The exhibition was unveiled in November 2021, and will run until 6th March 2022.

Artist and designer Cristian Mohaded specialises in the fields of furniture, lighting, product and artistic installations. He currently splits his time between Argentina and Europe and his works are defined by a deep respect towards the materials he uses. As a designer, Mohaded keenly observes the craft and harmoniously merges handicrafts, industry, tradition, and innovation.

The exhibition was curated by Wustavo Quiroga with the aim of exploring an idea conceived by the first director of the National Museum of Decorative Arts, Ignacio Pirovano: to define a unique Argentine-style based on distinctive traits from different regions in the country.

With a balanced combination of expert techniques and raw materials and a fusion of ancient and contemporary design components, the exhibition displays more than 20 pieces that have been produced specifically for the showcase.

The name of the exhibition aptly captures the essence of the exhibits, which acknowledge the cultural diversity and productive capacities of the local territories of Argentina, in addition to shaping a distinctive image of Argentine features from a Latin-American perspective.

The journey, from the initiation of the project to its materialisation into an exhibition, was marked by a 32,000-kilometre journey that was undertaken by the artist through the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca, Santiago Del Estero, Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy. Mohaded selected several techniques and materials along his journey to create new pieces: fabrics made by hand with a creole loom and ropes made of raw cow skin and sown with fine colt pelt stitches, specialized carpentry pieces made with native woods such as the missionary moor cedar or the fallen cardon cactus, basketwork made in Catamarca with simbol fiber, minerals like mica, boreal granite, and white onyx.

Some of his exhibits include ‘Campo de Torres’ or Field of Towers, ‘Jardín de Estrellas’ or Garden of Stars and ‘El Encuentro’ or The Encounter.

The ‘Territorio Híbrido’ exhibition by Cristian Mohaded will run from 12th November 2021 to 6th March 2022 at the National Museum of Decorative Art in Buenos Aires.