THE HEART OF EMRA
THE FOUNDERS & Team
THE FOUNDERS & Team
“PARA NOSOTRAS, EMRA ES SINÓNIMO DE MUJER EN SU SENTIDO MÁS AMPLIO Y GLOBAL, UNA REPRESENTACIÓN DE LO FEMENINO EN TODAS SUS FORMAS. FUNDAMOS ESTE PROYECTO PORQUE COMPARTIMOS EL MISMO DESEO DE MEJORAR LAS CONDICIONES DEL TRABAJO FEMENINO, PERO, SOBRE TODO, PORQUE ES ALGO QUE NOS LLENA PROFUNDAMENTE. PUEDE PARECER EGOÍSTA EN UN PRIMER MOMENTO, PERO QUIZÁS ES UNA FORMA DE SER ‘SABIAS EGOÍSTAS’: ENCONTRAR NUESTRO PROPIO BIENESTAR MIENTRAS CONTRIBUIMOS AL BIENESTAR Y LA AUTONOMÍA DE MÁS MUJERES.”
Lorena Rosende e Ixchel Ledesma,
Socias fundadoras.
For us, EMRA represents women in the broadest and most global sense, a representation of the feminine in all its forms. We founded this project because we share the same desire to work for real freedom for women all over the world, but most of all because it fulfills us deeply. That probably sounds selfish. We like to think that we can be "wise and selfish": pursuing women's economic autonomy, in the pursuit of our own well-being.
For us, EMRA represents women in the broadest and most global sense, a representation of the feminine in all its forms. We founded this project because we share the same desire to work for real freedom for women all over the world, but most of all because it fulfills us deeply. That probably sounds selfish. We like to think that we can be "wise and selfish": pursuing women's economic autonomy, in the pursuit of our own well-being.
Ixchel Ledesma
Ixchel Ledesma (b. Mexico, 1988) is an independent curator and designer. Her topics of interest are the dialogue between art, craft, fashion and design with special emphasis on textile materiality and jewelry. Ledesma is interested in personal and collective searches that question binary concepts of gender and identity, proposing alternative models of power relations in the artistic field. She holds a Master’s degree from the Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero (UNTREF), Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has carried out projects in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, United States, Spain, Chile, among others. She currently lives and works in Spain.
Lorena Rosende
Lorena Rosende (Spain, 1978) is the co-founder of Emra. She is an Energy Engineer from the University of Vigo, holds a Master’s in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies from the same university, and a Master’s in Occupational Risk Preven- tion from the University of Santiago de Compostela.
She is the CEO and co-founder of Merasys, a technology development company.
She was recognized as one of the leading women in the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem in 2020. Involved in gender-related projects from the start, she actively participates in and promotes youth mentoring programs for women.
Lorena Rosende (Spain, 1978) Engineer and CEO of Merasys
Specialising in technological development for industrial processes in a highly male-dominated sector, she has championed a form of leadership committed to transforming the productive environment by incorporating values of equity, sustainability and gender-aware innovation. In 2020, she was recognised as one of the leading women in Spain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Throughout her career, she has combined her technical and business work with a strong social commitment, actively participating in mentoring and training programmes for young women in technological and industrial fields. Her work is guided by a critical perspective that questions the structural inequalities in access to technology, resources and decision-making.
Lorena holds a degree in Mining Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies both from the University of Vigo, as well as a Master’s in Occupational Risk Prevention from the University of Santiago de Compostela. As CEO of Merasys, she leads and participates in technological development projects as a partner for major multinational companies in the automotive, aeronautical, energy, petrochemical and healthcare sectors, across Spain, Portugal, France, Morocco and UAE.
Lorena Rosende (Spain, 1978) is the co-founder of EMRA. She is an Energy Engineer working in industrial processes as CEO and co-founder of Merasys, a technology development company. She was recognized as one of the leading women in the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem in 2020. Involved in gender-related projects from the start, she actively participates in and promotes youth mentoring programs for women.
THE COLLABORATORS
Loreta Martinez
Loreto martinez troncoso
Loreto martinez troncoso
Born in Vigo in 1978; she currently lives and works in Porto and Paris. After attending the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Vigo, she moved in 1999 to the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and the National School of Fine Arts in Lyon, where she comple- ted her studies. In the following years, she received several residency scholarships in cities such as Budapest, Hendaye, San Sebastián, León, Porto, and Paris.
Her notable exhibitions and actions include those held at Les Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers (Paris), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Arteleku (San Sebastián), and Fundação Serralves (Porto). She has also participated in group exhibitions such asUrbanitas (MARCO, Vigo, 2006), Arte e Investigación 07 (Mon- tehermoso Cultural Center, Vitoria), and El medio es el museo (MARCO, Vigo / Koldo Mitxelena, San Sebastián, 2008).
Born in Vigo in 1978; she currently lives and works in Porto and Paris. After attending the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Vigo, she moved in 1999 to the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and the National School of Fine Arts in Lyon, where she completed her studies. In the following years, she received several residency scholarships in cities such as Budapest, Hendaye, San Sebastián, León, Porto, and Paris.
Her notable exhibitions and actions include those held at Les Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers (Paris), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Arteleku (San Sebastián), and Fundação Serralves (Porto). She has also participated in group exhibitions such asUrbanitas (MARCO, Vigo, 2006), Arte e Investigación 07 (Montehermoso Cultural Center, Vitoria), and El medio es el museo (MARCO, Vigo / Koldo Mitxelena, San Sebastián, 2008).
Born in Vigo in 1978; she currently lives and works in Porto and Paris. After attending the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Vigo, she moved in 1999 to the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and the National School of Fine Arts in Lyon, where she completed her studies. In the following years, she received several residency scholarships in cities such as Budapest, Hendaye, San Sebastián, León, Porto, and Paris.
Her notable exhibitions and actions include those held at Les Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers (Paris), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Arteleku (San Sebastián), and Fundação Serralves (Porto). She has also participated in group exhibitions such asUrbanitas (MARCO, Vigo, 2006), Arte e Investigación 07 (Montehermoso Cultural Center, Vitoria), and El medio es el museo (MARCO, Vigo / Koldo Mitxelena, San Sebastián, 2008).
Pabla Fiorella
Pabla Fiorella studied graphic design in Buenos Aires and, after graduating, worked as a designer in a transportation planning team. She grew up in Chaco, in northern Argentina, but has been living in Berlin for many years, where she has worked in both design and art direction, mostly on campaigns with political-social content or in the cultural field. Pabla also writes poetry and has begun working on her second novel.
She has over ten years of experience as a designer and art director in Argentina and Germany. She has a particular pas- sion for social impact projects, where she can deliver sustai- nable and innovative design solutions.
Pabla Fiorella studied graphic design in Buenos Aires and, after graduating, worked as a designer in a transportation planning team. She grew up in Chaco, in northern Argentina, but has been living in Berlin for many years, where she has worked in both design and art direction, mostly on campaigns with political-social content or in the cultural field. Pabla also writes poetry and has begun working on her second novel.
She has over ten years of experience as a designer and art director in Argentina and Germany. She has a particular passion for social impact projects, where she can deliver sustainable and innovative design solutions.
Pabla Fiorella studied graphic design in Buenos Aires and, after graduating, worked as a designer in a transportation planning team. She grew up in Chaco, in northern Argentina, but has been living in Berlin for many years, where she has worked in both design and art direction, mostly on campaigns with political-social content or in the cultural field. Pabla also writes poetry and has begun working on her second novel.
She has over ten years of experience as a designer and art director in Argentina and Germany. She has a particular passion for social impact projects, where she can deliver sustainable and innovative design solutions.
Alejandra Pombo
Born in Santiago de Compostela in 1979. Doctor in Fine Arts with a thesis on the paradoxes of the introduction of the notion of performance in contemporary art, her artistic work moves between the plastic arts, audiovisual and performance. He has won the prize of the I Call for Artistic Residencies FMJJ 2021 and has been chosen as an artist in residence at Bule- goa z/b (Bilbao), I-Park Foundation (Connecticut, USA), Atlan- tic Center for the Arts (Florida , USA), PACT-Zollverein (Essen, Germany), La Casa Encendida, the CA2M and the Ranchito in Matadero Madrid, among others. His work has been presented at different festivals, museums and art cen- ters such as the Reina Sofía Museum, Fabra i Coats, La Casa Encendida or the MUSAC. Since 2021, he has been part of the NEG (Nova Escultura Galega) collective.
Known for her diverse perspectives, she is dedicated to crea- ting designs that genuinely benefit people
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Born in Santiago de Compostela in 1979. Doctor in Fine Arts with a thesis on the paradoxes of the introduction of the notion of performance in contemporary art, her artistic work moves between the plastic arts, audiovisual and performance. He has won the prize of the I Call for Artistic Residencies FMJJ 2021 and has been chosen as an artist in residence at Bulegoa z/b (Bilbao), I-Park Foundation (Connecticut, USA), Atlantic Center for the Arts (Florida , USA), PACT-Zollverein (Essen, Germany), La Casa Encendida, the CA2M and the Ranchito in Matadero Madrid, among others. His work has been presented at different festivals, museums and art centers such as the Reina Sofía Museum, Fabra i Coats, La Casa Encendida or the MUSAC. Since 2021, he has been part of the NEG (Nova Escultura Galega) collective.
Known for her diverse perspectives, she is dedicated to creating designs that genuinely benefit people.
Born in Santiago de Compostela in 1979. Doctor in Fine Arts with a thesis on the paradoxes of the introduction of the notion of performance in contemporary art, her artistic work moves between the plastic arts, audiovisual and performance. He has won the prize of the I Call for Artistic Residencies FMJJ 2021 and has been chosen as an artist in residence at Bulegoa z/b (Bilbao), I-Park Foundation (Connecticut, USA), Atlantic Center for the Arts (Florida , USA), PACT-Zollverein (Essen, Germany), La Casa Encendida, the CA2M and the Ranchito in Matadero Madrid, among others. His work has been presented at different festivals, museums and art centers such as the Reina Sofía Museum, Fabra i Coats, La Casa Encendida or the MUSAC. Since 2021, he has been part of the NEG (Nova Escultura Galega) collective.
Known for her diverse perspectives, she is dedicated to creating designs that genuinely benefit people.
Judith Abataberna
Filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist Judith Adataberna has developed her imaginative world through experimental cinema, photography, and video installation. She studied Fine Arts and completed her studies with a scholarship from the experimental cinema laboratory Master-LAV (Madrid).
Raised by seafaring parents, she spent her entire childhood on an oyster raft, developing a deep observation of nature and its phenomenology. Her interest in psychology and the mysteries of consciousness has been crucial in formulating simulatory works that challenge scales and thresholds of perception. Her concern for survival mechanisms and technological evolution has led her to question humanity’s detachment from nature.
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Filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist Judith Adataberna has developed her imaginative world through experimental cinema, photography, and video installation. She studied Fine Arts and completed her studies with a scholarship from the experimental cinema laboratory Master-LAV (Madrid).
Raised by seafaring parents, she spent her entire childhood on an oyster raft, developing a deep observation of nature and its phenomenology. Her interest in psychology and the mysteries of consciousness has been crucial in formulating simulatory works that challenge scales and thresholds of perception. Her concern for survival mechanisms and technological evolution has led her to question humanity’s detachment from nature.
Filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist Judith Adataberna has developed her imaginative world through experimental cinema, photography, and video installation. She studied Fine Arts and completed her studies with a scholarship from the experimental cinema laboratory Master-LAV (Madrid).
Raised by seafaring parents, she spent her entire childhood on an oyster raft, developing a deep observation of nature and its phenomenology. Her interest in psychology and the mysteries of consciousness has been crucial in formulating simulatory works that challenge scales and thresholds of perception. Her concern for survival mechanisms and technological evolution has led her to question humanity’s detachment from nature.
Lucy Smith
Lorena Rosende (Spain, 1978) is the co-founder of Emra. She is an Energy Engineer from the University of Vigo, holds a Master’s in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies from the same university, and a Master’s in Occupational Risk Preven- tion from the University of Santiago de Compostela.
She is the CEO and co-founder of Merasys, a technology development company.
She was recognized as one of the leading women in the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem in 2020. Involved in gender-related projects from the start, she actively participates in and promotes youth mentoring programs for women.
Born in the UK in 1997, she graduated from the University of Southampton with a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages. Her love for travel and languages soon brought her to Vigo, Spain, where she now works and resides. After working for two years as an English teacher, her current role is within the Commercial Department at Merasys, as well as translating content for EMRA2EMRA.
Born in the UK in 1997, she graduated from the University of Southampton with a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages. Her love for travel and languages soon brought her to Vigo, Spain, where she now works and resides. After working for two years as an English teacher, her current role is within the Commercial Department at Merasys, as well as translating content for EMRA2EMRA.
THE FOUNDERS & TEAM
Ixchel and Lorena founded EMRA as a space for action, thought and collaboration among women – a platform from which to question the hierarchies that permeate art, industry and the economy. Coming from very different backgrounds – one from design and critical curatorship; the other from engineering and technological innovation – they share a deep conviction: when women organise and collaborate between themselves, they can transform their environments and achieve extraordinary goals.
“For us, EMRA represents womanhood in the broadest and most global sense, a representation of the feminine in all its forms. We founded this project because we share the same desire of working towards true freedom for women across the world, but most of all, because it deeply fulfils us. That probably sounds selfish. But we like to think that we can be “wise and selfish”: seek women’s economic autonomy in the pursuit of our own well-being.”
From their respective fields, both advocate for a vision of work, knowledge and economy that values the collective, sensitivity and context. EMRA is the synthesis of those experiences: a platform that promotes women’s economic autonomy as an act of justice, pleasure and structural transformation.
Ixchel Ledesma
Ixchel Ledesma (Mexico, 1988) Independent Curator and Designer
Her practice lies at the intersection of art, crafts, fashion and design, with a particular emphasis on textile materiality and jewellery. She works with feminist methodologies to dismantle the hegemonic paradigm of art history, in which disciplines such as textiles, ceramics, jewellery or crafts have historically been relegated as “minor arts”. These practices – traditionally carried out by women, indigenous peoples or racialised communities – have been systematically devalued, reproducing hierarchies that affect not only the art world, but also the rights, social recognition and economic standing of their practitioners. In response, Ledesma proposes curatorial models that highlight and reclaim these forms of knowledge as spaces of creation, resistance and symbolic power.
She studied for a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Management at the University of Guanajuato, with research residencies in Art History at Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico) and in Sociology at the Public University of Navarre. She has developed curatorial and research projects in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, USA, Spain, Chile, among other countries. She currently lives and works between Spain and Portugal.
Lorena Rosende
Lorena Rosende (Spain, 1978) Engineer and CEO of Merasys
Specialising in technological development for industrial processes in a highly male-dominated sector, she has championed a form of leadership committed to transforming the productive environment by incorporating values of equity, sustainability and gender-aware innovation. In 2020, she was recognised as one of the leading women in Spain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Throughout her career, she has combined her technical and business work with a strong social commitment, actively participating in mentoring and training programmes for young women in technological and industrial fields. Her work is guided by a critical perspective that questions the structural inequalities in access to technology, resources and decision-making.
Lorena holds a degree in Mining Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies both from the University of Vigo, as well as a Master’s in Occupational Risk Prevention from the University of Santiago de Compostela. As CEO of Merasys, she leads and participates in technological development projects as a partner for major multinational companies in the automotive, aeronautical, energy, petrochemical and healthcare sectors, across Spain, Portugal, France, Morocco and UAE.
THE COLLABORATORS
LoretO Martinez TRONCOSO
Born in Vigo in 1978; she currently lives and works in Porto and Paris. After attending the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Vigo, she moved in 1999 to the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and the National School of Fine Arts in Lyon, where she completed her studies. In the following years, she received several residency scholarships in cities such as Budapest, Hendaye, San Sebastián, León, Porto, and Paris.
Her notable exhibitions and actions include those held at Les Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers (Paris), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Arteleku (San Sebastián), and Fundação Serralves (Porto). She has also participated in group exhibitions such asUrbanitas (MARCO, Vigo, 2006), Arte e Investigación 07 (Montehermoso Cultural Center, Vitoria), and El medio es el museo (MARCO, Vigo / Koldo Mitxelena, San Sebastián, 2008).
Pabla Fiorella
Pabla Fiorella studied graphic design in Buenos Aires and, after graduating, worked as a designer in a transportation planning team. She grew up in Chaco, in northern Argentina, but has been living in Berlin for many years, where she has worked in both design and art direction, mostly on campaigns with political-social content or in the cultural field. Pabla also writes poetry and has begun working on her second novel.
She has over ten years of experience as a designer and art director in Argentina and Germany. She has a particular passion for social impact projects, where she can deliver sustainable and innovative design solutions.
Pabla Fiorella studied graphic design in Buenos Aires and, after graduating, worked as a designer in a transportation planning team. She grew up in Chaco, in northern Argentina, but has been living in Berlin for many years, where she has worked in both design and art direction, mostly on campaigns with political-social content or in the cultural field. Pabla also writes poetry and has begun working on her second novel.
She has over ten years of experience as a designer and art director in Argentina and Germany. She has a particular passion for social impact projects, where she can deliver sustainable and innovative design solutions.
Alejandra Pombo
Born in Santiago de Compostela in 1979. Doctor in Fine Arts with a thesis on the paradoxes of the introduction of the notion of performance in contemporary art, her artistic work moves between the plastic arts, audiovisual and performance. He has won the prize of the I Call for Artistic Residencies FMJJ 2021 and has been chosen as an artist in residence at Bulegoa z/b (Bilbao), I-Park Foundation (Connecticut, USA), Atlantic Center for the Arts (Florida , USA), PACT-Zollverein (Essen, Germany), La Casa Encendida, the CA2M and the Ranchito in Matadero Madrid, among others. His work has been presented at different festivals, museums and art centers such as the Reina Sofía Museum, Fabra i Coats, La Casa Encendida or the MUSAC. Since 2021, he has been part of the NEG (Nova Escultura Galega) collective.
Known for her diverse perspectives, she is dedicated to creating designs that genuinely benefit people.
Judith Adataberna
Filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist Judith Adataberna has developed her imaginative world through experimental cinema, photography, and video installation. She studied Fine Arts and completed her studies with a scholarship from the experimental cinema laboratory Master-LAV (Madrid).
Raised by seafaring parents, she spent her entire childhood on an oyster raft, developing a deep observation of nature and its phenomenology. Her interest in psychology and the mysteries of consciousness has been crucial in formulating simulatory works that challenge scales and thresholds of perception. Her concern for survival mechanisms and technological evolution has led her to question humanity’s detachment from nature.
Lucy Smith
Born in the UK in 1997, she graduated from the University of Southampton with a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages. Her love for travel and languages soon brought her to Vigo, Spain, where she now works and resides. After working for two years as an English teacher, her current role is within the Commercial Department at Merasys, as well as translating content for EMRA2EMRA.
