I am not good at being a tourist and thus I rarely become one. But I love being a traveler, exploring the cultures I visit from within, their foods, their people, architecture, art, design. Currently visiting Bogotá, I was honored to be hosted by textile artist Jorge Lizarazo at his atelier, situated in an expansive warehouse in the southern part of the Colombian capital. It is here since 2000, that Lizarazo is constantly revisiting, rethinking, reimagining the tradition of Colombian crafted textiles, transforming the art of textile in his own signature mode. Trained as an architect, and started his career at the Parisian offices of both Santiago Calatrava and Massimiliano Fukas, Lizarazo had demonstrated a rare talent for drawing from the very beginning. But once returning to his hometown, he found his revelation when falling in love with the art of textile. He discovered that his passion and mission lied far from architecture, and decided to devote his creative energy and career to the art of weaving. ‘apocalyptical moment,’ in his words. He creates rugs, upholstery, tabletop textiles, mixing delicate metal threads with leather, silk, nylon, rattan, and other materials in the most innovative, unexpected ways. Like a conductor, Lizarazo creates symphonies of textures, transparencies, resulting in textiles that are elegant, tasteful, glamorous, and refined. And I loved his dogs, little Diego and Frieda who are as integral to the fabric of this dazzling atelier as the dozens artisans who create labor-intensive textiles which find their ways to some of the most beautiful homes in the world.
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