The Sculpture Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Altea has launched the 1st International Stone Carving Workshops , a new initiative led by M.ª José Zanón, Tatiana Sentamans, Juan Francisco Martínez Gómez de Albacete, and Paula García Robleño . The project was conceived as a forum to explore the processes, research, and perspectives that shape contemporary sculpture.

The activity is open to undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students , as well as UMH staff , and is conceived as an opportunity to approach sculptural practice through dialogue with internationally renowned artists.

The first session of this edition was held on February 20th with the participation of sculptor Carlos Monge (Mexico/Spain) , a leading figure in monumental sculpture with a presence in more than thirty countries. His abstract work draws on the geometries of pre-Hispanic cultures and proposes a reflection on form, space, and cultural memory.

The next meeting will take place on March 24th at 12:00 pm in the CIA Seminar Room , located in the Mascarat building of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Altea . This session will feature Antonio Jurado (UCLM, Cuenca) , PhD in Fine Arts and an internationally renowned sculptor, who will present his most recent work, focused on the memory of everyday objects and the haptic qualities of marble.

That same day, at 5:30 p.m. , the exhibition “The Memory of Touch ,” by Antonio Jurado, will open in the Rectangle Room of the Center for Research in the Arts (CIA) at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Altea. The exhibition offers a journey through the essence of everyday objects, connecting the coldness of the sculptural material with the warmth of human experience.

The exhibition will be presented by curators Juan Francisco Martínez Gómez de Albacete and M.ª José Zanón , after which a free tour of the room and a meeting with the artist will be opened.

Artist Biographies

Carlos Monge (Mexico/Spain)

Carlos Monge was born in Sinaloa, Mexico, in 1947. He began his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and at the University Center for Cinematographic Studies. Although he graduated in film studies in 1979, his interest in volume and matter led him to pursue sculpture. He trained under the masters Saúl Moreno and Modesto Barrios , later establishing his career as a sculptor.

Since 1992, he has developed an extensive international career. A resident of Valencia for over seventeen years, he has participated in more than 140 international sculpture symposia in 30 countries across four continents , an experience that places him among the most established artists in this field. He is also the Mexican and Spanish representative of the International Association of Monumental Sculpture Events (AIESM) .

Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, including Third Prize at the Sixth Liu Kaiqu International Sculpture Exhibition in Wuhu, China (2017), Second Prize at the Sixth International Sculpture Symposium in Tehran, Iran (2014), Third Prize at the Chaco International Sculpture Biennial in Argentina (2012), and First Prize at the Sennori International Wood Sculpture Symposium in Italy (1996). He has also participated in exhibitions and events in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Chile, China, Azerbaijan, Taiwan, Finland, Austria, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, France, and Spain.

His work, primarily abstract, draws on the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico. Based on their geometric principles, Monge develops novel forms that establish a dialogue between tradition, contemporaneity, and monumentality. For the artist, symposia are also spaces for collective learning, places of exchange where techniques, narratives, and ways of understanding sculpture are shared.

Antonio Jurado (UCLM, Cuenca)

Antonio Jurado, a native of Gilena (Seville) , holds a PhD in Fine Arts from the University of Castilla-La Mancha , where he defended his doctoral thesis, ” The Sculptural Interpretation of the Everyday Object: An Analysis of Contemporary Sculpture from the Perspective of Artistic Practice ,” on July 16, 2025. His training began at the Almería School of Art and continued at the Granada School of Art. He subsequently earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) , where he received the Extraordinary End-of-Studies Award in 2016. In 2015, he undertook a research stay at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM) and, in 2017, completed a Master’s Degree in Research in Artistic and Visual Practices at UCLM.

His artistic production focuses on the sculptural interpretation of everyday objects. Through marble, Antonio Jurado reinterprets common elements and shifts their usual meaning by altering their scale and materiality. His work explores the haptic qualities of stone to invite the viewer to a sensory experience that goes beyond the visual. In this way, his sculptures transform recognizable objects into monumental presences that, at the same time, question excessive consumption and the production rhythms of contemporary society.

Participation in symposia has been a cornerstone of his career. He has taken part in numerous national and international events, most notably his invitation to the first Hulan International Sculpture Symposium 2023 in Harbin, China, where his work Needles was incorporated into the Floating Sculpture Museum . He has also participated in the 2nd Calatorao International Sculpture Symposium (Spain, 2018), the 24th Art Engiadina Bildhauer Symposium in Switzerland, the 27th Camille Claudel Sculpture Festival in France, as well as events held in Poland, Portugal, and China.

Currently, he has public works installed in countries such as Switzerland, France, Spain, Poland and Portugal , consolidating a career that combines research, artistic practice and international projection.

With this initiative, we are opening a new space for encounter, learning, and exchange around contemporary sculpture. The First International Stone Carving Workshops are born from the desire to bring new forms of artistic creation, research, and dialogue to our university community.