IN CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST ANA PAÚL
After a recent collaboration, we caught up with Ana Paúl in her Madrid studio to find out about her work from The Layered Forest series that now adorns the walls at Vestige Son Vell and Vestige Santa Ana. Her work is often rooted in nature, as she explains, “I am captivated by the majestic beauty and primeval mystery of forests and trees. In a constantly changing and fast- paced world which brings new challenges every day, trees provide a deep-rooted and enduring sense of protection and support.”
The Layered Forest at Vestige Collection
As well as a selection of pieces chosen from her collection, she was also commissioned to create a sample of site-specific pieces, in distinct colours and exact sizes. Ana approached the commission through the medium of colour, as she elaborates, “Colour is incredibly important and a source of joy for me while the expression of colour plays a major role in bringing my forests to life.” She also credits her choice of colour for harmoniously blending the heritage of our Vestige buildings with the contemporary aspects of her artwork. There is a real sense of mirroring and magnifying the history of the buildings with the low-key radiance of each artwork.
She goes on to say that, “Forests dominate my work and I use layers of paper to build a sculptural form to create an ethereal composition that I hope immerses the viewer in a sense of deep and profound peace.” And there is a feeling of calm radiating from Ana’s work that will surely encourage anyone who witnesses them to feel their worries melt away, just like sinking into that leisurely feeling of being on holiday.
Ana’s pieces convey an enduringly elegant aesthetic that complement the exquisite and refined sense of style that characterises every Vestige property. Ana shares, “I adored working in collaboration with Vestige Collection, they are complete professionals working on such important cultural projects, who allowed me just the right amount of direction and freedom to develop artworks that subtly enhance the guest experience. It’s an honour to be part of their story.”
Ana’s Story
Ana was always enchanted by paper and from an early age crafted colourful collages and compositions using a variety of materials. As a Barcelona native, her vibrant home city remains a source of inspiration and its influence is palpable throughout her work. She studied paper engineering in the UK and spent 20 years in Paris working in luxury fashion and high-end decor before returning to Spain and expanding her practice to work almost exclusively in paper.
On returning to her homeland, Ana began designing creative paper invitations before shifting towards artistic paper collections influenced by Orientalism that constantly evolve in colour and form as she meditates on the universal human experience and explores how we navigate tricky life events. She credits her cherry blossom-inspired forests for launching her career as a paper artist.
Ana’s work is exhibited globally and features in the Juan Carlos Escotet and Josep Maria Civit Contemporary Art Collection and other renowned private collections in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, New York and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, she is no stranger to curating artworks for luxury hotels after a commission from Patricia Urquiola, founder of architecture and design firm Studio Urquiola, resulted in the creation of 18 artworks for the Mandarin Hotel in Barcelona in 2018.
