Medieval Motifs and Pop Culture Converge in Jorge Mañes Rubio’s Beaded Sculptures

From sequins, glass beads, rhinestones, plaster, paint, and more, Jorge Mañes Rubio sculpts new narratives from ancient tales. Drawing on the motifs of Spanish illuminated manuscripts, as well as family heirlooms and pop culture, the artist explores the relationship between past and present, reinterpreting religious imagery into unexpected forms like beaded basketballs and other functional objects.

One recent work, “La Noche que Desvela una Luz sin Medida,” fashions a black safety glove used by motocross racers into a form that evokes a medieval gauntlet. It’s embellished with flame motifs, twisted cord, glass, and tiny medallions that the artist’s great-grandmother collected at monasteries across Europe in the early 20th century. Situated on a handmade pedestal, it’s displayed like an important artifact or relic rather than a utilitarian garment.

A detail of a sculpture by Jorge Mañes Rubio of a chair with a bulbous frame made from plaster and a beaded seat and back, which depicts a pomegranate — Front view of “May These Whispers Turn Into Armour” (2024), from the series ‘New Prophets,’ wood, paper pulp, plaster, brass wire, glass beads, and thread, 82 x 40 x 40 centimeters

“In Spanish, the word desvela carries a double meaning: to uncover, but also to remain awake because of vigilance or devotion, echoing the shimmering details that gleam all across this dark, armoured piece,” Rubio says in a statement. The glove is decorated with beaded flames and rows of colorful rhinestones while also incorporating the Fox Racing logo as a nod to the artist’s love of motocross, which is itself a passion passed down through the generations in his family.

Like many of Rubio’s works, the composition blends time-honored motifs with modern elements. “In this way, two opposite worlds collide: slow, time-consuming hand-embroidery techniques meet fast paced, bold graphics on cushioned protective gear; a motocross glove transformed into a contemporary reliquary.”

Additional pieces in Rubio’s ongoing New Prophets series include a chair with a hand-sculpted frame and a number of beaded reliefs in artist-made frames that reinterpret the aesthetic of medieval painted manuscript pages into glowing contemporary scenes.

Rubio has also been delving into the history and making of beads in a research project he’s calling Language of Beads, which includes residencies, community workshops, and a forthcoming solo exhibition at the Nationaal Glasmuseum in Leerdam, the Netherlands, in 2026. This research recently led him to Venice, a city renowned for its glass traditions, to learn how to make his own glass beads. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

A sculpture by Jorge Mañes Rubio of a motocross glove embellished with beads and gold cord — “La Noche que Desvela una Luz sin Medida” (2025), safety glove, glass beads, sequins, glass rhinestones, various medals, cords, textile and thread, wood, plaster, marble dust, and acrylic, 53 x 26 x 17 centimeters

A detail of a sculpture by Jorge Mañes Rubio of a motocross glove embellished with beads and gold cord — Detail of “La Noche que Desvela una Luz sin Medida”

A beaded wall relief by Jorge Mañes Rubio with a rhinestone-covered neon yellow frame — “I Know That You Are By My Side” (2024), from the series ‘New Prophets,’ sequins, glass beads, and gold leaf on canvas; wood, clay, plaster, gesso, acrylic, and glass rhinestones, 80 x 70 x 5 centimeters

A detail of a beaded wall relief by Jorge Mañes Rubio of a woman in a blue dress, holding a book and a glass of wine — Detail of “I Know That You Are By My Side”

A detail of a sculpture by Jorge Mañes Rubio of a chair with a bulbous frame made from plaster and a beaded seat and back, which depicts a bird-like being from a manuscript — Rear view of “May These Whispers Turn Into Armour”

A detail of a sculpture by Jorge Mañes Rubio of a beaded pomengranate — Detail of front view of “May These Whispers Turn Into Armour”

A beaded wall relief by Jorge Mañes Rubio with a rhinestone-covered pink frame — “La Palma Me Llevó El Alma” (2024), from the series ‘New Prophets,’ sequins, glass beads, and gold leaf on canvas; wood, clay, plaster, gesso, acrylic, and glass rhinestones, 80 x 70 x 5 centimeters

A detail of a beaded wall relief by Jorge Mañes Rubio with a rhinestone-covered pink frame — Detail of “La Palma Me Llevó El Alma”

A beaded wall relief by Jorge Mañes Rubio with a rhinestone-covered purple frame — “Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream” (2023), from the series ‘New Prophets,’ sequins, glass beads, and gold leaf on canvas; wood, clay, plaster, gesso, acrylic, and glass rhinestones, 80 x 70 x 5 centimeters

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