A CONVERSATION WITH

KORAL ANTOLIN

Between threads, textures and compositions that awaken the senses, we find Koral Antolin, a multidisciplinary artist based in Madrid. Her connection with textile art comes from a need to explore the tactile, manual and experimental, finding in fiber her own language through which she gives form to emotions and spaces.
From our admiration for her work and her way of expressing it, we spoke with Koral to discover her unique vision of art and delve into her inspiring and distinctive artisanal processes.
Koral wearing the Vila silver ring and the Naxos Onyx bracelet.
How has your professional journey evolved until becoming an artist and creating Studio fi?
My career began in different creative fields: I worked as an actress, photographer, designer, art director, advertising, as a craft curator and content creator. All this journey gave me the tools and lessons, but I felt the need to channel them into a more artistic and personal project. That 's where my connection with textiles began: a medium that allowed me to experiment, create by hand, and above all, reconnect with my Fine Arts training, where I specialized in drawing and printmaking. The line has always been the central axis and driving force of my work, and by working with fibers I found a way to give it volume, texture and a more tactile language.
I think I always had that artistic side inside me, although for a long time I felt I didn’t fit into the traditional art market. However, now I feel that I’ve found my place: developing my personal artistic work as Koral Antolín, while also producing textile works for hotels and architectural projects through my own studio. It provides a balance that allows me to keep an experimental practice on one hand, while fulfilling large-scale orders or specific projects.

On the other hand, I’d love to keep making a living from this; growing little by little, finding more collectors who support my work, and creating a couple of live pieces each year. I also want to continue developing the textile series I usually create for hotels.
What values guide this project?
About values, I’d say what guides me now is the idea of enjoying the process. In my previous jobs I was very focused on the result. Today I seek the opposite: to live each phase calmly and find satisfaction in the everyday. To love my life, really!
Your work goes beyond the visual, inviting the viewer to experience it. When you start a new piece, do you begin with form and material and then explore the sensory aspect, or is it a more organic process? How would you describe your creative process?
I work from different starting points. Sometimes the materials themselves inspire me, other times I begin with sketches and doodles that I refine until they take shape. Occasionally, it’s the space where the piece will live or a specific color palette that marks the beginning. But most often, everything starts with a drawing: I sketch several compositions, and from there I experiment with materials until the idea comes to life.
In your tapestries, there’s a clear connection with traditional art, but at the same time they also feel very contemporary. How do you find balance between the two styles?
I’ve always been fascinated by the techniques and processes. Since childhood, I had the habit of taking objects apart to see how they were made: leather accessories, embroidery, decorative pieces… I’ve always been captivated by understanding how things are constructed, and that curiosity remains with me today.
I find textiles fascinating because they allow you to play with a wide range of techniques, keeping me in a constant investigation. However, when I compose I need the pieces to breathe: to be minimalist, delicate, and elegant. There 's always a link to drawing, to that vibration that comes from the line, but brought into a material and contemporary dimension.
What new possibilities for creation and communication would you like to explore from your new studio in Malasaña?
The studio is, above all, my creative refuge. It’s where I develop my artistic works, but I also want it to be a space for meetings, events, and photographic collaborations.
It’s also perfect for me to create content, something I’ve always been passionate about due to my relation with scenography and film. It’s my way of contributing to the visual world, though I admit I sometimes feel overwhelmed by today’s constant visual noise. Even so, I want this space to be a point of connection with my artistic universe in a closer and more experiential way.
How do you imagine the evolution of your project in the future and what artistic paths would you like to materialize through it?
I’d love to continue living from this, growing gradually, finding more collectors who believe in my work, and creating a couple of live pieces each year. I also want to keep developing textile series through Studio fi.
I don’t have great ambitions beyond that: what matters the most to me is to keep enjoying the process and to sustain a life connected to art.
How would you define your lifestyle? What rituals help you connect with your artistic and personal side?
My lifestyle is a mix of creativity and cotidian reality. Some days I’m very focused, drawing or experimenting with materials, and other days I'm simply with my little one, picking him up from school or spending time at the park. All of that is part of my routine and it also nourishes me as a person. I’m not always in a creative mindset, and that’s okay, there are moments of concentration and moments of distraction, and both are valid… even if I sometimes get frustrated for not being “active” hahaha!
What inspires you in your day-to-day life?
Many things inspire me: design, architecture, color, nature, images, photography... There are stimuli that I collect and that, consciously or unconsciously, end up filtering into my work.
What does jewelry represent for you? 
For me, a piece of jewelry is an object that combines design, texture, and detail, and at the same time it can be linked to memories or special moments.
Do you have any that is special for what it symbolizes or reminds you of?
Yes, I have some pieces with me because they’re linked to important moments or people who I love. It’s not about their material value, but about the story they carry: they remind me of decisions, family memories, or creative stages, becoming almost like personal talismans.

If YOLIÉ were…

  • An emotion:
    Calm.
  • A work of art:
    Retrato de Madame X de John Singer Sargent.

  • An aroma:
    Jasmine.

  • A song:
    Irene of Rodrigo Amarante.
1 4
If I had to choose my favorite pieces, they would be the Ifach rings in gold and silver, the La Villa ring in silver, and the Bol Nou ring in silver.
As for bracelets, definitely the Naxos Onyx, and for earrings, the Altea Mother-of-Pearl and the Altea Onyx.
Koral Antolin’s favorite jewels
View all
Discover more about Koral at @koralantolin