Drawing with wire
- Racso tells stories through wire sculptures
- He first tinkered with wire in his father’s workshop
- His creative process is also his meditation time
Racso Jugarap is a self-taught wire artist, he never received formal art training. But he did obtain valuable experience at an early age, playing as a child in his father’s jewellery workshop in his native city of General Santos, in the Philippines. “I was not allowed to touch the precious metals, so I experimented with leftovers of the metal wires used to bind the casting materials, lying on the floor,” he explains. “With those, I created wire trinkets that I gifted to my friends.” Racso has lived in several European countries, until he became a full-time artist in Belgium, where he now has his studio. His first works, wire sculptures in the shape of ostrich eggs, were a big success.
INTERVIEW
I am a wire artist by craft, but I am also a storyteller through the works that I create. For those stories, I derive inspiration from my culture, childhood memories, nature and even certain sensations.
When I was younger, I had difficulties to interpret my ideas in 2D because I was not good at drawing – that is still a weakness of mine. That frustration led me to develop the dexterity to sculpt with wires. Metal wire became my ink.
The freedom to create what I love and the countless hours that I can focus in silence, immersed in thoughts. I also use these moments of creation as my meditation time.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing might constitute some sort of threat to artisans using traditional methods. But what is missing in ‘artificial’ creations is Love. As these become more mainstream, creations made with traditional techniques will become more valuable.
Racso Jugarap
Wire sculptor
Zoutleeuw, Belgium
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+32 499199174
LANGUAGES
English














