Biography

Born in the Basque Country and now Martín Azúa lives in Barcelona where he combines his work as a designer with his teaching work at the Elisava Design School. Martín studied Fine Arts, specializing in Design at the University of Barcelona. He also has a postgraduate degree in Architecture and Ephemeral Installations from the Polytechnic University of Barcelona and an MA in Social Communication from the Pompeu Fabra University.

Currently Martín works as a designer for different companies, as well as carrying out his experimental and investigative work which has been exhibited in individual and collective exhibitions in Barcelona, Milan, London, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, New York, Tokyo o Peking, amongst others.

He has work in the collections of MoMA in New York, Vitra Design Museum in Berlin, The Museum of Decorative Arts in Barcelona and The La Panera Centre of Art in Llieda. His projects have been published in various important international magazines.

Awards include: The City of Barcelona Award 2000, Delta de Plata Award 2007, FAD Award for Ephemeral Architecture 2008, Design Plus Award 2009, Interior Design Plus Award 2009, AD Designer of the Year Award 2010, Delta de Plata Award 2011.


2010
AD Designer of the Year Award 2010.
Designed the medals and podiums for the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010.
Designed and curated the exhibition "A la mesa! Design and Food", organized by the Circulo de Bellas Artes and the DDI in Madrid.
The exhibition Foodjects travels to Milan y Moscow.
Designed the entire branding and corporate image including packaging, shop interiors and communication of the jewellery maker Majoral.
Chosen as a member of the board of advisors of the Fine Arts Department of The University of Barcelona
Chosen for the design section of the Spanish Pavilion within the Universal Exhibition of Shanghai.
Collaborated with the companies: Cosmic, Mobles 114, Nanimarquina, Vibia, Majoral, Unión Suiza, Women'Secret, Idesa, DDI, AECID and the organizing committee of the European Athletics Championships

2009
Exhibition “Land! Pioneers of Change” / Droog Design / New York 2009.
Exhibition “Lapse in Time” / Experimenta design / Lisboa 2009.
Exhibition “Efeito D” / Experimenta design / Lisboa 2009.
Curated and designed the exhibition “Foodjects” / Washington 2009.
Designed the FAD cup 2009.
Won the Design Plus 2009 Award
Won the Interior Design Plus 2009 Award.


2008
Won the FAD Award for Ephemeral Architecture 2008 for the Roca project.
Exhibition "Urban Play" / Experimenta design / Droog design / Amsterdam.
Gave a conference in The Corcoran Gallery / Washington.
Exhibition "A touch of green" / Droog design / Milan.
Lead the workshop "Interior Landscape" at the María Martínez Otero Foundation / Galicia.
Designed the trophy for the City to City Award / FAD / Barcelona Council.


2007
The Vitra Design Museum acquires Basic House for collection.
Designed the exhibition "Thirst" for the Expo Zaragoza 2008.
Wins the Delta de Plata 2007 Award.
Designed the monolith and the trophies for the Barcelona World Race 2007.
Collective exhibition "Everyday Utopias" / Centrale Électrique Brussels.
Collective exhibition "Conversational Spanish" Aram Gallery / Londres.
Designed the medals and badges for FAD.
Designed the "Evolution Species" space for Roca.
House Nest is produced and commercialized by Droog design.
Develops projects for: Cosmic, Mobles 114, Roca, Nanimarquina, Women'Secret.


2006
The Museum of Modern Art / MoMA in New York buys Basic House for its collection.
Collective exhibition "Garden of delight" / Droog design / Gallery Trussardi / Milan
Collective exhibition "Global Edit" / invited by Wallpaper / Teatro Armani / Milan.
Participated in the 5th Biennale d´Art Leandre Cristòfol / Lleida.
La Panera Art Centre buys House Nest for its collection.
Develops projects for: Mobles 114, Nanimarquina, Faces, Alis, Escofet.


2005
Collective exhibition "Safe Design Takes On Risk" / The Museum of Modern Art / MoMA New York.
Exhibition "Etno Lab" / Centre of Artisans and Design in Lugo.
Participated in the Biennale Experimenta Design 2005 / Lisbon.
Designed the collection of objects for the kitchen "Faces" for Ferran Adrià.
Designed the packaging for the Madrid 2012 Olympic Candidature.

2004
Creation of the Azúamoliné Studio together with Gerard Moliné.
Designed a collection of shoes for Camper.
Designed the "Simplex" collection of bathrooms for Cosmic.
Designed a collection of jewellery for the company Karatnia.


2003
Designed the exhibition "Equality" for Forum de las Culturas 2004, Barcelona.
Collective exhibition “Strangely familiar: design and everyday life” / Walker Art Centre / Minneapolis, USA.
Individual exhibition “Get-up” / Ego gallery / Barcelona.
Curated and designed the exhibition “Objetar” / FAD / Barcelona
Collective exhibition “Urban Therapies” / Colegio de Arquitectos / Barcelona.
Designed the medals and trophies for the World Swimming Championships.


2002
Interior design for the Barcelona Cadena Ser Radio / Barcelona.
Exhibition / Royal Institute of British Architects / London.
"Spoon" a publication on contemporary design published by Phaidon.


2001
Collective exhibition “Living in Motion” / Vitra Design Museum / Germany.
Collective exhibition “Global Tools” / Khaus / Vienna.
Collective exhibition “Espace Vital” / La Criée / Rennes, France
Collective exhibition “Un móvil en la patera” / EACC / Castellón.


2000
Collective exhibition “Blow Up” / Vitra Design Museum / Germany.
Collective exhibition “Air en forme” / Musée de Design / Lausanne.
Collective exhibition “Petits enfants de Starck” / Paris.
Collective exhibition “Recherche - futur” / Paris.
Won the City of Barcelona Award 2000, for the collective exhibition "Futur compost"


1999
Collective exhibition “Futur Compost” / Palau de la Virreina / Barcelona.
Collective exhibition "Abitare il Tempo" / Verona.
Collective exhibition "Trois designers trois artisans" / Escuela Massana / Barcelona.
Organizational committee member of the Spring Forum of Design in Barcelona.
Teacher of The History of Design at Elisava Design School in Barcelona.
Special Invitation to a workshop. École des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Étienne / France.
Collaborated with the companies: Casas, Paï Thio, View.


1998
Collective exhibition / Galería Opos / Milán.
Collective exhibition "Biennale internationale desing 98" / Saint-Étienne / France.
Collective exhibition “Luce e Ombri “ / Lingotto Fieri / Torino / Italia.
Collective exhibition “Design et savoir-faire locaux“ / Cahors / Francia.
Teacher of The History of Design at Elisava University in Barcelona. Collaborated with the companies: Rosenthal, Metalarte.
Won the ExpoHogar 1998 Award / Barcelona.


1997
Collective exhibition “Hobjectes” / Carles Poy Gallery / Barcelona.
Project “Les Arques" / France
Organizational committee member of the Spring Forum of Design in Barcelona.
Investigation and documentation for the exhibition “The History of Design in Spain”
Teacher of The History of Design at Elisava Design School in Barcelona.
Won the ExpoHogar 1997 Award / Barcelona.
Was given an investigation grant for the project “Light and Space” by the European Community.
Collaborated with the companies: Carpyen, Vinçon, Metalarte.          


1996
Collective exhibition “Some Lights and Other Objects” / Banana Factory / Barcelona.
Collective exhibition “The suitcase of the year XXI” / Centro de Arte Santa Mónica / Barcelona.
Collaborated with the companies: Nou Vapor, Metalarte.
Postgraduate degree in Architecture and Design of Ephemeral Installations. UPC.


1995
Achieved a degree in Fine Arts, specializing in Design at the University of Barcelona.
Wins a “Diploma ADI FAD” / Barcelona

Philosophy

Global communication for a local life
In the scope of ideas there is no boundaries between disciplines, information moves in a shared stratosphere where neither hierarchies nor limits exist. Production is local and dedicated to the environment and social development.

Design Nature
Using natural processes as a strategy for design. In nature nothing is free, the forms found within it are always a result of an economy of material and energy bringing way to the final result. The natural processes of life are in interrelation with a common cycle.
Martín Azúa continues to work on the research, which he started in 1999, with the project Natural Finish, when he placed jars made of porous ceramics in river beds, which allowed him to collect a natural stain. These objects were included in the exhibition Open Borders, commissioned by Droog Design. Also, in 2003, within the framework of his exhibition Neorrural,  he presented a series of objects, including the Nest House, hunting shadows and biocolonizable textures. During the workshop Adobe Plus, which took place at the Ceu San Pablo in Valencia, various materials for construction, with the purpose of being inhabited by small animals, were conceptualized. In 2006, the exhibition Flod deliberated about nature’s strategies to grow and establish itself. With his installation the forest’s memory in IKEA products he visualized the natural origin of everything that surrounds us. In 2007, for the first time, he recreated a technological grotto at the SED pavilion of the Expo Zaragoza. In 2008 he received the FAD award in transient architecture for his installation Species in evolution, a project for the company Roca, presenting the design of a grotto-like bathroom, where technology collides with nature. With "The inner life" he claims an integration of natural processes in everyday life, life inside objects.


Domus December 2000 / Francesca Picchi

Martin Azua, belongs to the school of thought that sees experimental methods as an essential part of design. By that token he radically explores a subject that is a classic for schools of applied art: the relation between ornament and natural forms. ln recent years decoration has been a hobbyhorse of design.

The reaction to ascetic modernism involved cladding the surfaces of objects with abstract signs and chemical colours. When post-modernism of this kind ran out of steam, there was a renewed

Questioning the meaning of signs, focusing on the most ancient cultures or at least on those that appeared not to have been tainted bv the consumer market.

Azua's vases express a radical reflection on the theme of naturally inspired decoration by going to the direct source of all inspiration: nature.Traditional decorative design manuals Urged the artist-decorator to reproduce nature, not so much in order to imitate  its appearance as to spot the hidden laws that would enable them to establish a new "sense of order". But in Azua's work the 'bearing' theme of decoration is grafted on to another element involved in the changing appearance of things: the patina of time. He has entrusted a series of white highly porous ceramic vases to that through their sensitive surface, registers the erosive action of water and rapidly become colonised by minute living organisms like lichen and moss. Without any interest in style, Azua is looking to carry out similar experiments with such 'natural' decoration in a variety of environments and in different parts of the earth. Its not so much the vase itself that interests him, but the search to embrace surfaces on a larger scale pavements and architectural cladding for example could all be designed in such a way as to accept the action of weather, environment and natural processes.  

 
Questions
A question can be a project, an achievement in itself.

Utopias
To think about the future and get over the problems that now seem insurmountable.

Emergencies
The important things that we dedicate our attention, effort and time to.