Interiors, modernity and Myth, el nuevo libro de Gloria Cortina

Gloria Cortina nos invita a un fascinante recorrido de su trayectoria, un vistazo personal y glorioso a su trabajo, su talento y su visión creativa que la ha llevado a poner el nombre de México en alto.

Gloria Cortina designs fully composed architectural interiors expressing ideas and emotions prompted by modernity and myth – ‘a search for the harmony and beauty that can be found in conscious and unconscious imaginings.’ Working from her bases in New York and Mexico City her curations and artistic collaborations transcend the normal limits of interior design. ‘It‘s like a dance, a series of movements’ she explains, ‘a weaving together of a complete three-dimensional experience by giving and receiving ideas with my clients.’ Gloria describes a key part of her design process as being ‘almost like sculpting space and light’ to create very specific atmospheres. Every architectural interior is therefore a unique composition.

MATHIAS Coffee table, 2014The beauty and craft of this table, inspired by Mathias Goeritz’s art, convey a sense of emotional equilibrium.The hand-hammered surfaces of the table’s three segments—which can stand together or separately—produce a softly shimmering effect. Artwork by © Anish Kapoor. All Rights Reserved, DACS/ SIAE 2022, Photo © Michael Calderwood

Con prólogo de Sean Kelly, galerista británico residente de Nueva York y propietario de Sean Kelly Gallery New York, y validado por la distinguida editorial Rizzoli New York, Gloria Cotina presenta una ilustración actualizada de sus proyectos más representativos como diseñadora de interiores y de mobiliario. Un libro agradable y de gran diseño, con fotografías que enaltecen el camino recorrido de la diseñadora mexicana.

The interiors of this Residence, originally designed in the 1990s, were totally reinvented by Gloria Cortina in a close dialogue with the clients. The rooms had previously been cluttered and lacked a spatial or aesthetic narrative. The new design scheme is a highly conceptual coming together of art, space, light and shadow Artwork on the Coffee table ©John Chamberlain, by SIAE 2022, Photo © Michael Calderwood

Obra de arte en la mesa de centro ©John Chamberlain, por SIAE 2022, Fotografía © Michael Calderwood

Gloria se ha inspirado principalmente en objetos mayas, el cubismo, el arte y la arquitectura modernista del siglo XX, en el patrimonio artesanal mexicano y en entornos naturales y arqueológicos.

Gloria designed almost all of the hand-made furniture and fittings, and the range of materials includes oak-veneered walls, leather-framed doors, neon script, onyx, one-off silk and wool rugs, and a black bronze balustrade which rises into an angled turn to form a small study space. Artwork by Pablo Tamayo Photo © Michael Calderwood

Obra de Pablo Tamayo ©Cortesía del artista, Fotografía © Michael Calderwood

El enfoque destacado dentro de los proyectos de Gloria es una fuerte inspiración de grandes personalidades del arte como Diego Rivera y Luis Barragán aunado con influencias europeas y modernistas con el patrimonio artístico y artesanal de México.

Gloria Cortina’s home, marks the starting point of her profound interest in the design of architectural interiors, an interest that has come full circle. It composes three-dimensional settings, giving architectural form to spaces and then designing coherent ensembles of furniture, fabrics, fittings and artworks specifically for those spaces. Artworks by Jose Davila (left) Untitled (Monument 4 Those Who Have Been Killed in Ambush), 2013 Archival pigment print 144 x 214 x 7 cm Edition of 4 with 2 AP, © Jose Davila, by SIAE 2022 ,Courtesy of Estudio Jose Dávila & Travesía Cuatro. and Pedro Olivera Reyes: Three imaginary friends (Ovo), 2016 Volcanic stone, marble 22 x 33 x 50 cm 8 5/8 x 13 x 19 5/8 in (REYE160046), © Pedro Olivera Reyes, by SIAE 2022 Photo © Michael Calderwood

The main living room has a remarkable element – a monumental screen composed of differently sized tiles of subtly cloudy silver obsidian with ‘threads’ of bronze tracking through them. Gloria associates the tiles and thread patterns with the beautifully carved stone stelae found on the doorways and columns of ancient Mayan structures. But this composition is, in fact, absolutely specific to the family that live in the house. The tiles are arranged to represent the star signs of each family member, and the ‘threads’ lead to their different star sign constellations – an obsidian galaxy that Gloria thinks of as ‘an altar of symbols’. Photo © Michael Calderwood

Fotografía © Michael Calderwood

Sus proyectos sobresalen por la propuesta de fusión con materiales fuertes como el metal y la piedra con tejidos provenientes de la localidad donde se rige la obra, un talento bravío de la unión de antigüedades mexicanas, con piezas artesanales hechas a la medida y obras de arte contemporáneo.

Blackhawk — Console 2016 This console is an homage to birds, and their feathers and movements – key symbols in pre-Columbian mythology. The body of the console and the bronze and obsidian curtain of stylized feathers are simultaneously grounded and floating, and the exceptional glossiness of the console’s top surface is created by many layers of hand-applied cochinilla lacquer. DARKLIGHT Lamp, 2016 Everything about DarkLight radiates subtlety. The glow of the filment is gently warm in tone, rather than highly distinct, and the space between the bulb and the sconce creates a mixture of soft light and shadows. This is what makes DarkLight so intriguing: the filment seems to glow like an encased icon, creating a moment of meditative illumination. Artwork by Eduard Manet (left) Photo © Thomas Loof

De estudiar en Parsons School of Design en Nueva York a colaborar con el arquitecto David Ling en la misma ciudad, y regresar a su ciudad natal para trabajar con una de las grandes figuras de la arquitectura mexicana como Ricardo Legorreta, este año Gloria reune sus raíces y experiencia para regalarnos un grandioso tesoro literario y visual./

Por Leonor Torres Sanz