Gala Fernandez

Overview

Cosmopolitan and globetrotting, multifaceted designer, Gala Fernandez is a restless artist who seeks to express herself in different media.

The multidisciplinary work of this artist ranges from art and design to curatorship, interior and product design and even graphic design and publication. She moves just as well in art as in industrial design. The creator from Madrid lives in Milan, has devoted several years to teaching and has also worked at Fabrica, Benetton's creative centre in Treviso. She collaborates with major international firms, such as Moroso, and has found a creative gap in blown glass that has produced brilliant results with the Real Fábrica de Cristales de la Granja or the Antichi Angeli furnace in Venice.

Works

Biography

Gala Fernández Montero (Madrid, 1969) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Milan. She holds a degree in Art and Design from the Complutense University of Madrid, a Master’s in Industrial Design from the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) Milan, and a Master’s in Product Design from IED Madrid.

Between 2012 and 2015, she lived in Mexico City, where she co-founded the studio Pio Pio Labs with Berta Roda. She has lectured at institutions such as the European Institute of Design (IED) Madrid, the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon (FAUTL), the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) in Rotterdam, the Royal College of Art in London, and Goldsmiths University. Between 2010 and 2011, she directed the Domaine de Boisbuchet design program in France.

She is recognized for her versatile artistic practice, experimental approach, and strong commitment to education. She has taught at numerous universities and has been actively involved in curatorial projects, design collaborations, and creative direction. She has lived and worked in Italy, France, the UK, Portugal, Mexico, and Spain, collaborating with designers such as Oscar Mariné, Jaime Hayón at Fabrica, and El Último Grito. In February 2020, she was awarded the ELLE DECOR Designer of the Year Award.

Her exhibition "Organic Geometry" presents a project that began experimentally in Mexico over a decade ago. The first series, "Out of the Cage," consists of vases and sculptures created using blown glass inside birdcages and found objects. Her work merges color, form, and materiality to transcend traditional artistic boundaries. This body of work evolved into the "Organic Geometry" collection, where she experiments with handwoven copper wire structures that shape molten glass. The resulting pieces symbolize containment, protection, and transformation.

All the pieces in this project are individually crafted in Murano at the Antichi Angeli furnace. The collection maintains the glassmaking traditions of Murano while pushing the boundaries of contemporary design. Her work is distinguished by organic forms and vibrant colors, evoking a poetic dialogue between light, space, and materiality.

Her work has been showcased in international exhibitions at major design events and institutions, including the Madrid Design Festival, Milan Design Week, London Design Festival, Instituto Cervantes London, Museo de Bellas Artes in Santiago de Chile, Centro Andaluz de la Fotografía, Casa Asia in Barcelona, Casa América in Madrid, Pitti Uomo in Florence, and Zona Maco in Mexico City.

Gala Fernández continues to explore the intersection of art, design, and material experimentation. Her works challenge perception, celebrate craftsmanship, and invite new dialogues between tradition and innovation.

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