22 - EspritBonsaiInternational #101Trees
and people
Esprit Bonsai International: What led
you to bonsai?
David Benavente: I have always belie-
ved one must be creative in life, not just
in the artistic sense. I like to know how
things work. I have always learnt by rea-
soning based on trial and error, rather
than memorising what someone else
has taught me. It is what motivated me
from the age of 14. I was already gravita-
ting towards bonsai, either at the house
or bonsai clubs, as well as retail outletsInterview: Isabel Ribeiro
Photos: Isabel Ribeiro, unless otherwise statedNearly ten years ago,
David Benavente, one
of the most talented
Spanish artists of his
generation, established
his bonsai collection
and nursery on a
hillside near Madrid.
David Benavente
“I let the tree
dictate to me”
Established near Madrid,
David Benavente is a
creative artist. He searches,
experiments and expresses
himself through trees,
which he would like to
free from the formalism of
European exhibitions. He is
seen here demonstrating
on a Juniperus sabina at
the European Bonsai-San
show in Saulieu in 2017.