CORK IN ARCO MADRID

Corticeira Amorim provided cork solutions for the VIP Room.

• The Spanish artist Lázaro Rosa Violán developed the creative concept of space at the international fair of contemporary art in the Spanish capital.

• The partnership made it possible to value the aesthetic uniqueness of cork, and to explore the natural aspect of this material.

The ARCO Madrid VIP Room is coated and decorated with cork, in a materialization of the unexpected creative concept designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán. In a collaboration with Revista AD, Corticeira Amorim made available various technical solutions and decorative materials of this raw material, namely Wicanders flooring, plates and rolls with multiple visuals of cork, Cork Fabrics, Cork Wall, as well as technical advice.

This partnership allowed us to value the aesthetic uniqueness of cork and to explore the natural singularity of this material, such as durability and lightness, in a space so exclusive to the most attractive and relevant contemporary art fair in the Spanish market.

The VIP room – an exclusive artistic space, that occupies 1,200-square-meter, developed by Lázaro Rosa Violán Studio - is the privileged place where gallerists, collectors and special guests can rest, supported by furniture that also incorporates cork, establish contacts and schedule meetings. The space hosts a restaurant explored by Vilaplana, with the gastronomic direction of the Peruvian chef Rafael Osterling.

Lázaro Rosa Violán Studio, who previously visited Corticeira Amorim to know the entire cork production cycle and the vast portfolio of products and solutions, told AD magazine: "so far [cork] has only been used in a shy and advisable way. In some projects (…) I included small details, but now I want to use it in a very invasive way: floors, walls, lamps, tables, benches ... even at the bar counter (...). I play with materiality and light, based on transparencies, with cork on very thin sheets that are more solid or more transparent, which still have microperforations, and vary the intensity of illumination."

Cristina Amorim, from Corticeira Amorim, highlights "Lázaro Rosa Violán was able to highlight the cork in an extraordinary way, exhibiting its aesthetic characteristics and valuing cork as a natural material of excellence and our products and technical solutions, especially with a modern and bold design. The result was a clear balance between the natural visuals and the comfort that cork confers in acoustic terms and in terms of resistance to the impact".

In the perspective of contemporary art, Corticeira Amorim has been present at the major international events and established a close relationship with designers, architects and creatives through which the infinite potential of cork has been explored.

About Lázaro Rosa-Violán

Internationally highly regarded for the projects he develops, the Spanish designer knows very well cork as a raw material, as well as its unique and distinctive characteristics. Recently, he applied cork on the flagship of a well-known Spanish international clothing brand in Lisbon. The interior decorator was responsible for the architectural project of the renovation of the historic palace of the 19th century, with three floors, which received the concept store, he is also the author of the JNcQUOI space, the restaurant concept store also located in the Portuguese capital.

It is defined as "a painter, traveler, and creator of atmospheres". Lázaro Rosa-Violán stands out for a philosophy always based on accessible design. He considers that "the experience must be greater than the space, so that all participate". Painter since the age of eight, architect since the 20 and designer by inheritance. Lázaro opened his studio in Barcelona in 2002 and created a new style, building "a bridge over a painting background for a new realm of design." His strengths are the use of structure, shape and a pointed sense of the concept of space, which allows him to overcome the most creative expectations of the clients. More than spaces, Lázaro assumes that he creates atmospheres.