For the production of Emmaus, Jan Hendrix’s first bronze bell, the collaboration between the artist and Factum Arte brought together two complementary forms of knowledge: contemporary processes of design, fabrication and production developed by Factum Arte, and an artisanal practice rooted in centuries of experience in bell founding. The result connects a contemporary artwork with a technique deeply embedded in the material and acoustic history of bronze.

Factum Arte collaborated with master bell founder Abel Portilla, who continues a long family tradition of bell founding in Cantabria. For this project, the bell was made using artisanal processes passed down through generations, combining clay mould-making, wax modelling and bronze casting. Derived from the lost-wax casting process, this complex technique requires a unique mould to be produced for each individual bell.

Through this combination of contemporary fabrication and inherited craft knowledge, Emmaus brings together different approaches to making while celebrating the physical and acoustic properties of bronze. The work reflects a dialogue between artistic experimentation, technological production and a centuries-old tradition of bell founding.

 

Emmaus is currently on display at the exhibition 'Toledo+Hendrix' (11 September 2026 - 15 January 2027) at Galería de Arte Mexicano (GAM) in Mexico City. The exhibition brings together 30 works by Francisco Toledo (1940-2019) and Jan Hendrix, two artists whose very different practices were united by a shared passion for graphic art and a deep friendship. The exhibition pairs Toledo’s explorations of nature, culture, and mortality with Hendrix’s investigations of landscape and innovative printmaking techniques.

At the entrance, Hendrix’s monumental bronze bell is presented alongside Toledo’s ceramic La campana de Toledo (2007), highlighting the creative dialogue and complementary approaches that define the exhibition.