Ceramist Ana Illueca connects Valencia and Peru through ‘Juntas’ project

Ceramist Ana Illueca has launched ‘Juntas’, a project connecting Valencian ceramics with the work of twelve female artisans from La Encantada, Peru. The collection originated from Illueca’s collaboration with the Association of Women Artisans towards the World (AMAM) in Chulucanas.

During the collaboration, Illueca worked with artisans Melisa Inga and others to integrate local decorative and burnishing techniques with new formal languages inspired by the local landscape and daily life. A key aspect of the project involved introducing the use of the pottery wheel to the women, a tool they had previously associated with male labor, to increase their production autonomy and reduce dependence on male workers for shaping pieces.