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Madrid Artist Javier S. Medina: The Master of the Woven Grass “Eco Trophy”

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Eco-FriendlyIssue 28 — Around the World

Madrid Artist Javier S. Medina: The Master of the Woven Grass “Eco Trophy”

July 16, 2021

When we admired the woven grass buffalo head in Hollister and Porter Hovey’s recent townhouse staging, they tipped us off about Javier Sanchez Medina: “We’ve been collecting straw animals for years now,” said Hollister. “Some are from the artisan market in Mexico City, some we’ve happened upon in New York and Connecticut, but Javier is really the reigning king of this craft.”

They might have also called him the Adonis—Medina’s creations and he himself have appeared of late everywhere from a new Loewe campaign to Icon magazine, and the Hovey sisters and Sarah Jessica Parker are among the many who have made pilgrimages to his atelier in Madrid. Count us among the intrigued.

medina&#8\2\17;s shop is in an atmospheric old carpentry studio in madrid&a 17
Above: Medina’s shop is in an atmospheric old carpentry studio in Madrid’s Malasaña neighborhood.
medina is from extremadura, and calls himself a self taught &#8\2\20;basket 18
Above: Medina is from Extremadura, and calls himself a self-taught “basketmaker.” He learned to braid grass the traditional from his grandfather: “I remember him in the courtyard weaving bulrush chair seats,” he says in a Loewe video. Medina specializes in making fanciful animal heads that he’s dubbed “ecological trophies.” He also restores antiques. Photograph by Alvaro Lopez.
visitors to medina&#8\2\17;s shop get to see him at work. he only uses natu 19
Above: Visitors to Medina’s shop get to see him at work. He only uses natural materials: esparto grass, bamboo, wicker, and rattan, and stitches his animal heads together with twine. Photograph via CN Traveler España.
medina opened his shop in \20\14; he now also sells his work on his website and 20
Above: Medina opened his shop in 2014; he now also sells his work on his website and ships it around the world. Shown here, a Rhinoceros, €350, and pig (available on request). Photograph by Davit Ruiz for Loewe.
the animal heads come in a range of sizes and medina also makes decorative mirr 21
Above: The animal heads come in a range of sizes and Medina also makes decorative mirrors: the Wicker example on the back wall is €90.
a lion head modeled by actor jaime zatarain. 22
Above: A lion head modeled by actor Jaime Zatarain.
medina has preserved the historic feel of his atelier. 23
Above: Medina has preserved the historic feel of his atelier.
the shop is at \28 calle el escorial in madrid. medina also offers four day wor 24
Above: The shop is at 28 Calle el Escorial in Madrid. Medina also offers four-day workshops in which participants get to try their hand at this craft, eat at his favorite restaurants, and meet other local artisans. Follow him on Instagram @javiersanchezmedina. Photograph by Alvaro Lopez

Another must-visit Madrid shop: Casa González y González, Better Tools for Living

Also take a look at these DIY Wrapped Clothes Hangers from two Madrid boutiques.

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