The "Inhabiting Identities" series is a jewelry collection deeply rooted in traditional female crafts and is an evolution of the piece exhibited at the Royal Treasure Museum in Lisbon. This collection not only reclaims and reflects on the position of women in art and society, but also explores how our female identity has been and continues to be constructed.
Each piece in this collection is a tribute to the memory and paths traveled by women, integrating a hybridization of disciplines such as jewelry, painting, sewing, and embroidery. Through these works, the boundaries of conventional artistic disciplines are challenged and broken, questioning the historically attributed labels to needlework practices, which have often been considered "secondary" or "non-artistic." In reality, these practices have been fundamental in the construction of female identity.
Embroidery, a traditional technique that symbolizes memory and the stories that connect us, is presented with a contemporary language. Thus, each embroidered piece highlights these traditional techniques that represent the memory and stories that unite us. This perspective seeks to destabilize conventional conceptions of power and knowledge, noting that the relationship between the two is complex and manifests through a network of influences that transcend individuality.
Elena Larrén graduated in Applied Arts with a specialization in Jewelry. She continued her artistic training at the Tarragona School of Art and completed her internship at the "Le Arti Orafe" School in Florence in 2001. She worked in different jewelry workshops and since 2010 has been dedicated to teaching jewelry techniques. Currently, she is a full-time professor at the Zaragoza School of Art. Additionally, she has conducted various workshops at the Aziz School in Barcelona, Central Saint Martin’s University in London, Ar.Co Independent Art School, and Valentim Quaresma Studio, both in Lisbon. She has also participated in various jewelry courses for teacher training in art schools and has been part of the teaching team at the Barcelona Design School's summer intensive courses. In 2024, she graduated in Art from the Open University of Catalonia.
She has exhibited in Valencia, Barcelona, Valladolid, Palencia, Lisbon, and Munich in various collective exhibitions. She has received several awards in national jewelry design competitions.
