Season IV – AlexSobronJewelry.com

This collection is a tribute to the beauty and fluidity of flamenco, embodied through

the delicate metaphor of the butterfly. It intertwines the essence of dance, song,

andguitar, with each piece designed to interact with the body in a waythat feels organic

and natural, much like the graceful movement of a dancer’s form. The butterfly’s

symbolic flight represents the fleeting beauty of the art and the powerful yet delicate

energy of flamenco.

Alex Sobrón presents the campaign for his upcoming collection “Season V – Sebastià,” which draws inspiration from the figure of Saint Sebastian, reinterpreted over time as a symbol of resistance, identity, and rebellion against the norm, influenced both by its depictions in art and its connection to popular culture. The collection revolves around the arrow as a multifaceted symbol of power, desire, and sacrifice. This modern reinterpretation transforms jewelry into a vehicle for personal expression and deep reflection.

Flamenco is a profound and timeless reflectionof human emotion, effortlessly bridgin

gcultural, social, and generational divides. Through its intricate rhythms and poetic

simplicity, it speaks to the soul, expressing both the joys and sorrows of life in a way

that resonates universally. Its ability toevoke raw emotion creates an intimate, heart-

to-heart connection that transcends words.

Meticulously crafted in silver, this collection pays homage to the flamenco greats such

as Antonio Gades, capturing the spirit and legacy of the art form. With a focus on

sustainable, artisanal production, the designs incorporate elements like thorny

brambles, symbolizing the delicate balance between fragility and strength that defines

both the art of flamenco and the collection itself. Each piece is a timeless testament to

the enduring legacy of flamenco and its profound cultural impact.

Flamenco music is a constantly evolving testimony of the experiences of my culture, itssorrows, musings and joys. Its rhythmic and harmonic structures are convoluted and itssinging has the power to discuss tremendously complex vital and philosophicalquestions through simple and understandable language.

Flamenco is one of the most democratic art forms that I know, it contains within itself apurity and a truth capable of transcending the social context, age, gender or nationalityofthose who experience it. The pain of the “soleá”, the discouragement of the”seguiriya”the truth of a “fandango”, the nostalgia of the “petenera” or the fire of abulería, appeal tofeelings that we have all experienced and are going to experience.Because flamenco isneither sung with the throat, nor played with the hands, nordanced with the feet. It is adirect transmission from heart to heart.

This collection, which is the fourth one I have made, is presented as a triptych: dance,singing and Guitar playing. With thebutterfly as the main metaphor to representdancing.The flight of these appeals to the flight of the ruffles of a dancer’s skirt, theflight of theManila shawl or that of the dancer’s hair. The movement, a paralelism withthe handsthat rise and move ina determined but never aggressive way, and thelightness, with thedelicacy of each breath, each sigh and each moan through whichthe performerscommunicate.

The pieces, cast in silver and molded in wax with my own hands, pay homage to thegreat figures of flamenco dance such as Antonio Gades, Matilde Coral, Pastora Imperioor Farruco. The metal butterflies are frozen in time, dancing still, like the masters offlamenco dance, who continue dancing frozen in the living memory and history of thisart

Thisis a collection that demonstrates remarkable evolution and technical maturity, inwhich we have kept intact the house’s values in terms of sustainable and artisanal production. It has several sets where the butterfly, as the main element, interacts withthewearer’s body in a completely organic way, as if it had decided to perch freely ontothe body.

The bases of the pieces emulate natural elements such as branches, creating a newimmortal nature in silver. We have revisited elements from past seasons such as thethorn brambles, which create a dialogue and a juxtaposition between the hardness ofthespikes and the fragility of the wings, as well as flamenco itself, which is as an artisticexpression, a beautiful response to complicated sociocultural circumstances.

This is from the depths of my being, my love letter to flamenco as a spectator, myhumbletribute to an art that captured me approximately 5 years ago. In short, a way toexpressmyself through flamenco without being a singer, dancer or guitarist.

Saint Sebastian, beyond being a Catholic saint, has become a constantly evolving icon, appropriated and reinterpreted over the centuries in both cultural and countercultural ways. My first connection to this figure was as the patron saint of my hometown, Palma. As far back as I can remember, every January 19th I have participated in a celebration where fire, “dimonis” (demons), and music take center stage, yet the figure of the saint is rarely mentioned. In fact, many of those who participate in this celebration are unaware of the history behind Saint Sebastian.

With the title Sebastià, this collection nods to both my roots and Derek Jarman’s cinema, specifically his film Sebastiane (1976), which forms the basis for the non-religious interpretation of this figure. The collection centers around the arrow, the weapon with which Saint Sebastian was martyred, and explores the appropriation and decontextualization of popular icons. Over the course of history, Saint Sebastian has gained prominence not only for his role as a martyr but also for the many artistic representations that have emerged, imbued with profound symbolism.

My interest in this saint deepens through his portrayals in literature and art. In Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima, for example, the saint becomes a cathartic symbol, a point of intersection between personal identity and marginality. Writers such as Oscar Wilde, Federico García Lorca, and Tennessee Williams have used the figure of Saint Sebastian to address universal themes of identity, desire, and marginalization—not out of religious fervor, but as a tool to explore more complex aspects of the human experience.

It is precisely this multiplicity of readings that inspired me to reinterpret the figure of Saint Sebastian, not just as a religious symbol but as an emblem of resistance against norms and oppression. In this collection, Saint Sebastian becomes a patron of artists, intellectuals, misunderstood individuals, and rebels. Following the evolution of his iconography from the Renaissance, where his figure took on tones of ambiguity and sensuality, I decided to tepresent him through a female

figure. In the 21st century, resistance does not take a single form, and this representation captures that transformation.

The Sebastià collection moves away from traditional jewelry and is presented through three stainless steel sculptures that incorporate the arrow—symbol of martyrdom and resistance—along with thistles, an emblem of the family that recalls a series of sculptures created by my grandfather, Juan Solivellas. These sculptures are the continuation of a series of pieces I made in 2021, which were later included in the work Study of a Defeated Warrior by Filip Custic. In this way, the collection not only honors a family tradition but also frames a reflection on art and resistance.

The jewelry pieces, which explore themes of power, desire, and resistance through the symbol of the arrow, will be presented on a date full of meaning: February 14th, Valentine’s Day. This date, like the arrow, is rich with symbolic connotations and personal interpretation. The power of the arrow as a symbol of love, sacrifice, and struggle unfolds in this collection, inviting the viewer to reflect on its own meaning.

The photographic campaign accompanying the collection has been directed by Biel Capllonch, whose bold and surrealist style perfectly complements the spirit of defiance and transformation that permeates the entire proposal.