Manuela Alarcón López

Manuela Alarcón is a ceramic artist based in Medellín, Colombia. Her work revolves around experimentation with clay practices and the creation of objects and artifacts through a formal, political, and ecological exploration of their social contexts. Manuela studied Industrial Design in Colombia and holds a Master’s degree in Art Theory from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. She has worked as a material culture researcher at the Pontificia Universidad Bolivariana in Medellín, coordinated several contemporary art exhibitions in Colombia, served as Director of Education at the Museum of Modern Art of Medellín, and has undertaken residencies across different regions of the country.

The relationships between design, architecture, and craft have been a constant in her work as both researcher and creator. Ceramics have allowed her to move between these fields to address complex social, political, and historical issues. In her current practice, she explores clay traditions and their social context in various Colombian regions, creating work with local materials drawn from these experiences.

In her pieces, humor, history, craftsmanship, and Colombian material culture play a key role in creating objects that dialogue with traditional pottery and with the observation and imitation of nature.

Manuela Alarcón will be in residence at Can Serrat in october 2025.