A story on social networks sharing an ingenious illustration, a market with hand-painted engravings, a stand at the “Descenso de Laviana” festivities alongside the most traditional music of the region, a great event in Gijón/Xixón like the “Lab Shop” to show what local artistic talents offer and engravings that, accompanied by a beautiful image, show Asturian words that our grandmothers used or that remind us that “the Asturias is never understood without the mine.”
These are the creations of five artists from Asturias or those residing in the Principality who, with their professionalism and originality, transmit sensations and emotions in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Nieves González (“Nieve Sita”, on her social media profiles), María Ortiz Iglesias, Ana Cachafeiro, Agustina Palacios Machado and Celia Pandiella shared their experience with Eldiario.es Asturias.
“Snow Sita”
Nieves González, known as “Nieve Sita” on her social media profile, is a woman who has gained visibility in recent years thanks to her commitment to the Asturian language and respect for the traditions of the territory. And he does it successfully.
She believes that perhaps the good reception her creations receive is due to the fact that she perceives the need of society to look a little for the roots and “what is special”. And he argues: “If we get carried away by this globalization, we end up losing our identity, and that’s where, I think, the success of local and unique things comes from.”
Combine activities
She doesn’t just make her living from art. He devotes himself to education and the combination of the two activities gives him stability. Social networks have been a great showcase for his work and many people commission creations from him, but he recognizes that “living art in Asturias (or elsewhere) is possible but very complicated and unstable, it also depends a lot on fashions, contacts”.
Nieves González is a committed artist and, in the image that accompanies this report, you can see her most supportive side, when she created a poster in support of “Las Seis de La Switzerland”.
Maria Ortiz
María Ortiz Iglesias is an illustrator and believes that the positive aspect of her profession is that it allows her to live in Asturias, to be an artist and to have clients from all over the world. She assures that it is in “the figure of the illustrator” that she can give free rein to her creation and combine it with her other professional activity at the Oviedo School of Art.
It is part of APIAS, the association of illustration professionals of Asturias, created in 2024, and where its members are dedicated to giving more visibility to artists in various spaces. Ortiz believes these initiatives give more visibility to local art. Through her work teaching other artists, she recognizes that she finds a lot of young talent.
Ana Cachafeiro
Ana Cachafeiro started her artistic training in 1998 and hasn’t stopped since. His first exhibition outside of Oviedo took place in his own town in the mining basin, in the Sierra del Trabanquín, an event organized by Manolo, from “Nuberu”.
She highlights the enormous importance of art for the tradition and culture of Asturias: “The figure of the artisan has always existed. It is part of our culture as a people and our roots. From Celtic goldsmithing to the cabinetmaking found in traditional architecture, such as attics, or the fabrics of dance costumes, artisanal work has always been linked to our identity.
Commitment to local creation
Ana Cachafeiro believes that “betting on art and local creation is, ultimately, a way of preserving our history, our culture and our way of being”.
According to him, Asturias have always had a certain fear of their own wealth: of their language, their identity and their creative capacity, although he believes that this idea is slowly changing. And he emphasizes that currently “there are many groups, social houses and rooms where we can exhibit and there is a lot of talent”.
Agustina Palacios
Agustina Palacios Machado is originally from Argentina. He has been in Asturias since the beginning of 2024 and has already managed to make a name for himself in the region, with his creations, thanks to his collaborations with cultural proposals from different associations.
Promotes the importance of having a solid identity and an attractive product that can be inserted into the market.
Consume local crafts
Agustina Palacios is optimistic about the current art scene, as she observed that “people are used to consuming local crafts, which opens the door for artists of different disciplines to sell and for various spaces, centers, bars and institutions to organize markets. In this way, the offer is pluralized, making art accessible.”
His experience shows him that there are many places receptive to receiving proposals and actively collaborating with artists.
Célia Pandiella
Celia Pandiella recognizes that the work of artists is increasingly better received and believes that this is largely due to the work of associations, spaces and projects that actively support local artists, organizing exhibitions and meetings that bring art closer to people in a more accessible and closer way.
Since he decided to dedicate himself to his passion, he was able to understand the importance of having these friendlier spaces, where processes can be explained and where the idea that art can be part of everyday life, and not just big galleries, can be normalized.
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