We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jimena Rios a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jimena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Taking a risk is being honest with your ideas and trust that if they come from your own voice they will be appreciated
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Jimena, I live and work in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Im a jewelry maker and an educator. In my work I combine fine art with the traditional jewelry craft. I graduated in 2004 from Massana school in Barcelona and move back to my home country to teach what I’ve learnt. Since 2013 I run my own studio and a jewelry school , Taller Eloi. In addition, I curate exhibition and organize events related with jewelry to promote the practice in Argentina.
I’ve been always fascinated by the fact that I can create jewelry that can be worn and cherished forever. I love that jewelry has always been a way for people to communicate and express themselves.
Teaching for me is a way of shearing with others. I have a deep sense of community and value collaborations to open up diverse conversations around art and enhance each other’s work.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I was educated and always learn that success was an individual goal. But with time and experience I’ve felt the importance of community. My work is always the result of collaborations with colleagues and this allows my pieces to open up a larger space for the viewer to engage in the conversation. I encourage my students to work together and in an honest way. Every thing is better if we all add our own voice.
Honesty and sense of community are the two most important values I’ve learned during this years. With honesty I mean to always remember that since the beginning of time jewelry has played an important role in society as a system of communication. The pieces we make will be used to show love, affection, commitment, friendship, and for that reason they must be done with love and care and go beyond trends. Our work should last for ever.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
We should never underestimate our audience in social media. I have always created quality content but at the same time I’ve never speculate with my posts. I only use IG being aware that we are “selling” a product, but that product is us, what we do, the community that we are and we always remember that in social media or in making jewelry we are trying to add beauty to the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tallereloi.com
- Instagram: @tallereloi
Image Credits
Carolina Colmenero