In conversation with Paulo Ribeiro, Director of Joya 2020

Has the date of the fair of October 2020 been defined yet?

JOYA would initially be held on October 01st, 02nd and 03rd, but due to COVID-19 we had to change the fair format and this year we will make an exhibition that will last 2 months and 10 days, from September 19th to November 29th, 2020 at the Catalunya Crafts Center “Artesania Catalunya”, Carrer Banys Nous 11, Barcelona. Besides the exhibition, we will have a sale and auction with Klimt02.net and events in different galleries in the city of Barcelona such as Hannah Gallery, Context Gallery, Majoral Shop, etc.

How do you relate to designers?

We are in constant contact with the selected artists, from the moment they send us the request to take part until the end of the fair. Once it is decided who will participate in the event, we make a follow up on the pieces, so that they present the best they have created, apart from coaching, we also advise with the presentation, communication, prices, etc. The relation between the organization and the artist is very important because in the end the teamwork always offers a better result.

You give designers the opportunity to have a space on your website, publishing photos of their creations in the Showroom section: How does Joya Barcelona stand out in the Digital and Innovation theme with respect to contemporary jewelry?

We have the support of many media partners besides our promotional channels (website, social media, newsletters, etc), media such as Klimt02.net, Grupo Duplex, Gold & Time, Benchpeg, Ambar Magazine among others, publish articles, interviews and content for several months, promoting the participants and spreading their works internationally. Besides, we create exclusive content; editorials with models and videos - which provides to the participants with high-level visibility, in which the jewelry and the objects are exposed in models and the public can appreciate the scale and volumes. The videos are published on YouTube and it is another tool to promote the selected works together with the specialized media.

For the 2020 event, will digital support be given to those who join? 

All selected artists will have their collections presented digitally and offline because catalogues will also be printed, editorials will appear in international printed magazines and there will be articles in newspapers and agendas. Digital communication will be intense and constant; we are closing agreements with new online collaborators so from July to November you can see new content about JOYA 2020 participants.

How do you see the future of the sector in the coming months already looking to 2021? 

Many sectors are suffering from this exceptional situation; jewellery was already in crisis before COVID. But we are positive and we continue fighting, when we started there were no events related to contemporary jewellery in Spain and today there are several in Europe, such as the Melting Point in Valencia, Athens Jewelry Week or Author in Bucharest apart from New York Jewellery Week and Brazil Jewellery Week, from our point of view this is because there is a lot of production and interest, consumers and lovers of this type of art. The community is getting bigger and more diverse, and surely united we will emerge from this situation stronger.