Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon pushes the boundaries of design in striking form. Hayon was born in Madrid in 1974 and spent his University years studying industrial design in both his hometown and Paris. Although Hayon excelled in his studies, he never felt too connected to the traditional and logical design curriculum. Rather than subscribing to a specific category, Hayon felt compelled to lend his designs a unique touch and take risks.
Times magazine has included Hayon as one of the 100 most relevant creators of our times and Wallpaper magazine has listed him as one of the most influential creators of the last decade. With offices in Italy, Spain and UK, Hayon’s main interest is to find challenges and new perspectives. His vision blurs the lines between art, decoration and design bringing back a renaissance in finely-crafted, intricate objects within the context of contemporary design culture: creating furniture, product, interiors, sculptures and art Installations.
His unique style was first fully exposed in ‘Mediterranean Digital Baroque’ at London’s David Gill Gallery, followed by many exhibitions and installations set up in major galleries and museums worldwide. His concern for the conservation of craft skills and his way of challenging design has led him to develop renowned work for Baccarat, Fritz Hansen, The Groninger Museum, Bisazza, Bosa, La Terraza del Casino de Madrid, Lladró, Magis, Established & Sons and Fabergé among many others. Hayon has also collaborated with such reputable names as Benetton, Metalarte, Coca-Cola, Adidas, and Camper. He continues to keep busy pushing limits of design well into his career as has from the start. With the definition of design in a constant flux, Hayon excels in the void. “Today I don’t know my definition of design, but I do know it’s a very interesting moment for design, because there is more acceptance, it’s more hybrid.”
Hayon explains, “At a certain moment I was absolutely not interested in [traditional design], so I went through a different road. I was more interested in underground art, it opened my mind to see things differently.” This urge to create holds deep roots in his adolescence spent in Madrid where he immersed himself in skateboard and graffiti cultures, expanding the already whimsical imagination that is ever-present in his work today.
Sources: Hayon Studio & Cool Hunting
All sketches in this post: Copyright © Jaime Hayon
Confero Dezso 