Yoyo Balagué
Yoyo Balagué
Yoyo Balagué
Yoyo Balagué was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. Her formative years were spent in the Baix Empordà region of Catalonia, where the Mediterranean landscape profoundly influenced her artistic vision. Drawn to nature, its quietude and its inherent power since childhood, Balagué has built a comprehensive body of work that embodies and integrates the elemental forces of wood, fire, water, and air—both literally and conceptually.
Self-taught, the artist has worked with unwavering dedication, studying and experimenting with time-honored ceramic techniques gleaned from across the globe. As she mastered the ancient pit firing methods, Balagué has created a singular and innovative approach to this millennia-old tradition.
Based in Spain, the artist has developed a multidisciplinary practice that spans mediums and forms. Her body of work includes both functional and nonfunctional sculptures, which she often shapes using the traditional "Urbido" technique—a modeling method of coiling clay rolls to build up the structure of her forms. Rooted in her spiritual sensibility and profound connection to nature, Balagué approaches her creative process as a meditative ritual. Using her body as a vehicle that can connect with the spiritual nature of things, she channels a deep awareness of space and movement, working with a focus that emerges from inner stillness and quietude.
In line with the wabi-sabi philosophy and her attunement to the inherent, organic qualities of her medium, Balagué often embraces unglazed surfaces that celebrate imperfection. Her work finds poetry in the natural vulnerabilities of clay, accentuated by natural phenomena and marks left by the firing process—transforming perceived flaws into a testament to natural beauty and resilience.
Yoyo Balagué
Yoyo Balagué was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. Her formative years were spent in the Baix Empordà region of Catalonia, where the Mediterranean landscape profoundly influenced her artistic vision. Drawn to nature, its quietude and its inherent power since childhood, Balagué has built a comprehensive body of work that embodies and integrates the elemental forces of wood, fire, water, and air—both literally and conceptually.
Self-taught, the artist has worked with unwavering dedication, studying and experimenting with time-honored ceramic techniques gleaned from across the globe. As she mastered the ancient pit firing methods, Balagué has created a singular and innovative approach to this millennia-old tradition.
Based in Spain, the artist has developed a multidisciplinary practice that spans mediums and forms. Her body of work includes both functional and nonfunctional sculptures, which she often shapes using the traditional "Urbido" technique—a modeling method of coiling clay rolls to build up the structure of her forms. Rooted in her spiritual sensibility and profound connection to nature, Balagué approaches her creative process as a meditative ritual. Using her body as a vehicle that can connect with the spiritual nature of things, she channels a deep awareness of space and movement, working with a focus that emerges from inner stillness and quietude.
In line with the wabi-sabi philosophy and her attunement to the inherent, organic qualities of her medium, Balagué often embraces unglazed surfaces that celebrate imperfection. Her work finds poetry in the natural vulnerabilities of clay, accentuated by natural phenomena and marks left by the firing process—transforming perceived flaws into a testament to natural beauty and resilience.
