about
P Gurgel-Segrillo (she/they) is a Brazilian-Irish artist designer maker based in Cork City, Ireland, creating wall & wearable art. MA in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London.
'Design - Craft - Art. I strive to blur their boundaries: the thought and design that goes into conceiving the piece, the hand-crafted aspect and skills which are required to realize it and its intrinsic artistic expression - all three are equals in my creative process. The search for this balance is in every piece.'
jewellery series
woven series of contemporary jewellery ~ celebrating our interconnectedness
" The wearable quality of the pieces I design and make is of utmost importance to me - rather than seeing this as a limitation, I welcome it as the universe that gives shape to my work.
I have chosen to work with finer silver and gold alloys. Their softness is a crucial quality needed for the weaving techniques I have developed throughout 30 years of jewellery-making.
The weaving spawns tactile, luxurious, unexpected characteristics - no weave is the same.
Not that there is little effort involved: my hands are like 'contortionists dancing' someone with a poet's heart noted while observing me at work. This overtly handcrafted quality never ceases to captivate me.
Another commentator stated that my 'woven jewellery pieces made from interlaced silver and gold ribbon evokes the social fabric of Rio de Janeiro, a place where the rich and diverse cultural heritage are beautifully, even if turbulently, intertwined.'
As I was born and grew up in Brazil - a country often described as a land of contrasts, a place of extremes - this rings true.
The working process itself feels very much like a search. A search for that elusive place in the middle, where a state of balance is possible. There, the weaving may flow inevitably into a wearable art piece that will never be repeated, as it reflects that singular, treasured moment.
The emotional inspiration for this series comes from how our decisions shape our lives. How if well reflected, embraced and celebrated, they never fail to wear beautifully. Like crossroads weaving the fabric of our cities, plainly inscribing the land with our interconnectedness.
That's why the 'woven' series partnership rings has a very special place in my practice. To be part of such a loving moment in a couple's life, is an honour and brings me immense joy.'
"My dear, we searched this entire Internet for something that spoke to us. Until the universe brought us to you. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH. Thank you for the affection. And for understanding that Loveislove." A & R, Boston, US
Gurgel-Segrillo's contemporary jewellery series have been exhibited in galleries in the UK, Ireland, Japan, Brazil and the USA and are sold worldwide; actor Orlando Bloom is one of many collectors of her uniquely handcrafted and ultimately wearable art (woven ring).
'Through weaving techniques developed over 3 decades of jewellery-making, I spawn beautifully tactile, highly complex pieces - each having a weighty, sensuous feel, full of individuality. No weave is ever the same. It is unrepeatable and therefore, unique and endearingly unpredictable.'
Recently, two more art jewellery series were launched:
'eterica' series - sterling silver formed into flowing pieces of timeless appeal, inspired by the elements water & air
'skin' series- celebrating Life and its crossroads
A number of selected galleries represent the art jewellery series: please follow the link for the complete list
sculpture series
drawing series
Since moving to Ireland in 2011, Patricia has been exploring figurative pencil drawings and fine art prints, and has created a number of series inspired by Human Rights, womanhood and cross-cultural identity. She is currently based in Cork City.
print series
prints series #1 - Figurative explorations on love and womanhood, empowerment and femininity.
print series #2 - This drawing series has drawn inspiration from the Afro-Brazilian orixas. They are deities or divinities and are such a great part of Brazilian culture. The artist's deeply personal representations portray them as timeless heroes and sages, inhabitants of the urban landscapes, full of magic and power.
tradigital series
The Tradigital Art Series were created from the artist's original traditional pencil on paper drawings worked digitally into archival quality prints. Influenced by the great Photojournalism masters and their humanity as well as by the Film Noir directors with their gloomy grays and blacks and whites, emphasizing the shadowy and dark side of the human experience.
The tradigital art print format was inspired by Cordel Literature: the popular printed booklets containing short stories, poems and songs, which are produced and sold by street vendors mainly in the Northeast of Brazil. They came from the papel volante tradition of Portugal and are usually produced in black and white and illustrated with woodcuts. The cordeis talk about popular day-to-day life's trials and tribulations.
The tradigital series #1 was created as a response to 'I Have the Right' open call for an exhibit at the PICTURE Art Foundation in Redondo Beach, California.
The tradigital series #2 - 'fallen angels' was created in response to the works of William Blake.
The fine art prints as well as the tradigital art series are created in limited editions from her original pencil on paper drawings and are available for purchase on this site - each print is signed and numbered by the artist and shipped worldwide.
collage series
'Collage allows for unique, never-to-be-repeated images to be created with a serendipitous playfulness but one which could only spring from being fully in the moment. This series reflects and expands on the nature of human connection and the creation of memories.'
workshops & talks
P Gurgel-Segrillo is a member of the Visual Artists Ireland, registered with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and the London Assay Office. Selected CRAFTed and DesignSKILLS facilitator (Design and Crafts Council of Ireland's Education Panel). Thankful for the support of the New Irish Art Project and for the assistance of the Cork City Enterprise Office.
For more in-depth information, cv, artist's statement etc. please visit Gurgel-Segrillo's main website www.gurgel-segrillo.com
Since 2012 P Gurgel-Segrillo has been a member of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland's Education Panel which aims for the development and delivery of training programmes relating to the Visual Arts curriculum at primary (CRAFTed) and secondary (DesignSKILLS) levels, as well as, the delivery of CPD for Visual Arts teachers.
In 2022 Patricia earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Innovation Through Design Thinking from the University College Cork, Ireland, and has been applying the DT principles to her approach to facilitation.
For neuro-affirming arts, crafts & design workshops for all ages, in person and via Zoom. Please contact P directly: workshops[at]gurgel-segrillo.com
