Meet Kenia Almaraz Murillo, the artist rethinking weaving
Kenia Almaraz Murillo draws on the new and the traditional in her exhibition 'Andean Cosmovision' at London's Waddington Custot

Bolivian-born textile artist Kenia Almaraz Murillo is rethinking weaving’s traditional reputation with work that zigzags across mediums and references. In her new London art exhibition, Murillo adorns her wall hangings with found, urban objects, from car headlights to motorbike headlamps, brilliantly lit up with curves of neon.
The results are striking, juxtaposing traditional Bolivian materials such as sheep’s and llamas’ wool against the more modern, in a bid to find a balance between the natural and the man-made, the technological and the mythical. It is a tension reflected in the materials themselves, with gold threads from France, dating from the 1920s-1940s, woven with alpaca threads from Bolivia in a mish-mash of textural nods.
Kenia Almaraz Murillo, Los Urus, 2024, woven threads, Bolivian carnival costume embroidery and LED lights on stainless steel frame
‘In my work, each piece bears witness to a specific encounter, whether it be with an animal, a landscape, a star, a myth, a legend, a story,’ says Murillo. ‘My approach is one of paying homage. I have a great admiration for living animals, and the animals of myths and legends. I try to make them come alive through my threads and to almost relive those precise moments when the discovery took place. In a way, I am highlighting the past by making it alive in the present. Talking about these discoveries is, for me, a way of talking about the nature that surrounds us, of becoming aware of the beauty of this Earth and thanking it, to better protect it.’
Kenia Almaraz Murillo,Las Llamitas, 2024, woven threads and LED lights on stainless steel frame
Murillo was taught how to weave in Paris by artist Simone Prouvé, after moving there from Bolivia at age 11. Returning to Bolivia for the first time at age 16, she reconnected with family, friends and local traditions – creating memories and references that she intertwines throughout her work. ‘My story with weaving began when I saw my mother spread out some "aguayos" (woven cloths) on the ground to have them take a "baño de Sol" (sunbath). That moment was a revelation. I felt like I was meeting my ancestors through their lines, their colours, their patterns.
‘As reflected in the materials, [my] work represents a true meeting between two cultures, but I am also working toward finding an overall balance between natural elements and contemporary elements: the quest for harmony in this area is another important root of my work,’ she adds. ‘I was born in Santa Cruz and grew up in Paris. I think I have always wanted to find a connection somehow between these two cultures. My two homes. I learned weaving in France and this allowed me to reactivate the link with my weaving ancestors in Bolivia. Linking thread and light is a personal signature that allows me to honour ancestral knowledge and connect it with modern technology – making them both more alive than ever.’
Kenia Almaraz Murillo's exhibition, 'Andean Cosmovision', is at London's Waddington Custot, 16 November 2024 - 30 January 2025
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Kenia Almaraz Murillo, El Lagarto, 2024, woven threads, Bolivian carnival costume embroidery and LED lights on stainless steel frame
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’
Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery Weekend
Berlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
A first look inside the new Oxford Street Ikea. Spoiler: blue bags and meatballs are included
The new Oxford Street Ikea opens tomorrow (1 May), giving Londoners access to the Swedish furniture brand right in the heart of the city
-
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be shown at Tate Modern
The 42-panel quilt, which commemorates those affected by HIV and AIDS, will be displayed in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2025
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyers
An exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
-
Artist Qualeasha Wood explores the digital glitch to weave stories of the Black female experience
In ‘Malware’, her new London exhibition at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, the American artist’s tapestries, tuftings and videos delve into the world of internet malfunction
-
Ed Atkins confronts death at Tate Britain
In his new London exhibition, the artist prods at the limits of existence through digital and physical works, including a film starring Toby Jones
-
Tom Wesselmann’s 'Up Close' and the anatomy of desire
In a new exhibition currently on show at Almine Rech in London, Tom Wesselmann challenges the limits of figurative painting
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year
Tate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
-
A portrait of the artist: Sotheby’s puts Grayson Perry in the spotlight
For more than a decade, photographer Richard Ansett has made Grayson Perry his muse. Now Sotheby’s is staging a selling exhibition of their work