Like his work, Cristián San Martín Heise hides many surprises. The architect showcases his craftsmanship with colorful figures that are a visual delight, regardless of the material he uses.
You might think that Cristián San Martín Heise ‘s creations are made of porcelain: the geometric figures have an almost perfect finish and their glossy glazes give the impression of being very fragile, but don’t be fooled. The Spanish architect and artist works with different materials and diverse artistic techniques that, at first glance, go unnoticed.
During the pandemic, he found himself sitting on his hands as an architect, which led him to buy the right tools and put into practice the knowledge he acquired in a porcelain course taught by artist Rosario Perriello in 2019. “The pandemic, literally, was like the end of the world, and in my field it felt like a cataclysm. My mother had a porcelain jewelry box that I loved as a child: it was shiny white on the outside and opaque white on the inside; from then on, this technique stuck with me; I found it exquisite. I always believed that this material was made industrially — in factories — I never thought that courses could be given on this,” he recalls.
Soon after, he found his signature: he switched to stoneware ceramics because it’s more practical for him, and he began to express his creativity with color and ease. “In ceramics, there’s a tendency to use the material in its natural color; bare. For me, I think white as a medium is great, but it’s much richer to manipulate it.”
Her obsession with colors began because she found them to be a point of reference: “It really places you in a time period. I’m drawn to the 1980s, the Japanese aesthetic of the 1970s, and American design of the 1990s; postmodernism in general has had a strong impact on me.” Similarly, she eschews the trend of irregular ceramics that’s very much in vogue today. “I don’t find it challenging. I find it beautiful, but I’m more interested in neatness, because my work speaks a lot to geometry; it’s not perfect, but it’s more exact. It seeks neatness in a certain way, and since I like to use solid colors, I feel that both things speak to me something more concrete.”
Left: Photo by Maria Kulakova. Right: Photo by Esteban Vargas Roa.
Art on different scales
Before turning to ceramics, Cristián also worked in window design. In 2015, he won the Transbank “Vitrinas y fachadas” competition, and this recognition has allowed him to work with major fashion, jewelry, and accessories brands nationwide. “There’s a lot of fantasy involved in designing a bar or restaurant, which is very similar to window displays or stage sets. That’s why I connect both of my sides with the pursuit of magic,” he says. From that moment on, he integrated paper and a tropical aesthetic into his window displays.
As he explains, everything begins with a drawing or a model that, as it takes shape, evolves into a work on paper or ceramic, depending on the dimensions of the display case. In his smaller-scale works, he creates figures — bases, circles, pedestals, among others — that he combines and blends until they form the desired result. “The genesis of my work is somewhat the same, but it comes down to a logistical and practical matter depending on the material I use and the scale,” he comments.
L’OFFICIEL: In that sense, how do you divide your different works?
CRISTIÁN SAN MARTÍN HEISE: I divide it into scenes and altars. On the one hand, the scenes are the suns, plants, animals, and fruits that speak from a landscape and are born from window dressing. On the other hand, the altars are basically geometric figures that, when a candle is added, for example, are enhanced; something similar to an offering.