​Mónica Pérez Gutiérrez (Monoco)

Santiago, Chile.

She grew up in the countryside near Curicó. She studied Design at the Catholic University of Chile and specialized in Goldsmith in England, obtaining a "Master of Arts". Far from Chile she professionalized in the field of non-traditional jewelry, deepening into art jewelry for the last 7 years. Movement and contrast are fundamental principles in her work. She is the forerunner of the application of horsehair handicrafts in current Chilean jewelry, incorporating it in her work, of a more commercial nature, since 2002; she innovates by combining woven copper, silver and even gold wire with traditional horsehair weave. She is a founding member of Joya Brava and was vice president between 2015 and 2017. In addition, founder and owner of the contemporary jewelry store / gallery Ají, strongly focused on the patrimonial rescue and promotion of designer jewelry from 2004 to 2019. She has participated in exhibitions in the UK, Chile, the US, Norway, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany and Poland. Shee was a finalist for the Enjoiat'19 Awards. 

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Statement:

"My work reflects the constant search for a language of own visual expression and my scattered and changing ideas lead me to rethink each new project. Movement and contrast are fundamental principles and a constant in my pieces, in which the fixings are not fixed and I resort to mechanical, mobile and generally movable solutions. Nothing is final or static. My pieces are the result of a journey without a plan in which every moment is enjoyed, suffered (lived) and recorded in a scattered, restless and a bit chaotic story. The search for my own language involves combining traditional materials with innovative elements, often forgotten or unusual for jewelry, using the kaleidoscope as inspiration".