Contrast, colour and artful experimentation
- Alex creates delicate, sculptural pieces using traditional blowtorch-moulding techniques
- In 2018, he opened his workshop in Barcelona’s Sants neighbourhood
- His creative process is fluid and guided by experimentation
When Alex Añó Frohlich first enrolled in an introductory glassblowing course at Barcelona’s now-shuttered Fundació Centre del Vidre, Catalonia was experiencing a revival of its centuries-old glassmaking traditions. “People know a lot about Bohemian and Murano glass, but our glass tradition is just as old,” he explains. The school became a lab for Alex's early experimentation — a place he returned to over the years, in between studies at Spain’s Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja, CERFAV in France, and the home-workshop of a glassmaster near Osnabrück in Germany. While traditional techniques inform his work, Alex is also inspired by the natural world: his colourful vases, glasses and pitchers evoke the intricate textures and organic forms that can be revealed under a microscope. At his workshop in Barcelona, Alex passes on his blowtorch-moulding techniques to a younger generation. “There is much more interest in glassblowing than before,” he notes. “I am optimistic about the future.”
Interview
- How does your creative process unfold?
- I try to keep it fluid. The technique itself often guides me, but it has its limitations, too. I find that when I stop insisting so much on achieving a fixed idea, new pathways open up. I remain very open to what emerges out of that process.
- What impact has teaching had on your journey as an artist?
- It is beautiful to awaken someone else’s interest. It gives me personal satisfaction to have sparked a person’s desire to progress with their craft. Also, teaching keeps me connected to what is happening in the world, thanks to the many young people who come through my workshop.
- How has travel influenced your work?
- I like to observe how people work with glass, and live through it. It is interesting to see other ways of doing things. Through this exposure, I have been able to identify the approaches that I connect with the most.
- Do you collaborate with other artists?
- I collaborate with my partner, Cécile Ribas, a sculptor. We are experimenting with combining ceramics and glass, and were honored to have our sculptures selected for the 2025 Contemporania art fair in Barcelona and the Centro de Artesanía Catalunya.
Alex Añó Frohlich is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2004 and he started teaching in 2020
Where
Alex Añó Frohlich
