Kieff Grediaga was born in Madrid in 1936 in the midst of the chaos of the Spanish Civil War. Son of Antonio Grediaga Doncel, a cabinetmaker, and Epifania Bueno Bueno, a housewife, his childhood falls nothing short of tumultuous. Despite the hardships/horrors of the times, he managed to remain a cheerful and happy child, and harboured a profound desire to learn. 

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Forced to abandon school at an early age to learn cabinetmaking, Kieff began working in his father’s studio before he turned 10. A young Kieff gradually begins to forge his manual dexterity then and there.

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The dramatic circumstances of his childhood leave him no other choice than to work, but his passion for learning stirs a desire of a better future. During this period, he attends line drawing classes at night and, shortly after, begins his architectural studies at a private academy.

Leaving his country at the age of 23 and migrates to Brazil. Once there, Kieff manages to survive due to his knowledge of woodwork and cabinetmaking.

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He has his first contact with contemporary art in Sao Paolo while visiting an exhibition of modernist sculpture. Not only does this chance encounter awaken a passion for form and space, but also gives birth to his long journey through visual art, one that is still going today. From this point forth, he begins to draw his ideas, ideas that would eventually convert themselves into sculptures.

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He decides to move to Argentina. He lives in Buenos Aires for five years, where he studies drama, literature, piano and music, specializing in opera and lied. He also completes studies in Italian and German. There, he discovers that cabinetmaking will not be his future and without thinking of sculpture as a profession, the passion he felt for giving form to his ideas continues to gain momentum.

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After moving to Vienna to perfect his opera studies in Vienna, Kieff regularly visits The Museum of Modern Art. He discovers the works of Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Naum Gabo and those of other modernist masters. This exposure begins to illuminate his vision of a better future. The profound inspiration found in these authors helps him enter the universe of the Fine Arts, as he continues to adapt his drawings to matter while looking deeper into sculpture as a means to investigate his curiosities.

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During the 1960’s, at the age of 26, he begins to combine his love of music with his drawing and produces his first small wooden sculptures. These will later convert themselves into bronze. The influence of his knowledge of music is evident in these first models, where he manages to materialize rhythm and sensibility through harmonious forms and enveloping curves.

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During this time, he develops an interest in the philosophies of Kant, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Heidegger, helping him find his own way. Kieff repeats to himself thousands of times: If I only knew the way back…

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He moves to Montreal in 1968, where the first exhibition of his works is held at the reputable Moos Gallery. The sold-out exhibition encourages him to keep working as a sculptor. From there, he embarks on bigger exhibitions in galleries across Canada, the United States and Japan.

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His passion for rhythm triggers what becomes an exploration of spacetime. Creating forms entangling matter with empty space, Kieff begins to play with the relationship between the concave and the convex, and curvature and flatness.

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He settles in Cuba in the year 2000. Driven by the necessity to create something new, he moves his studios to Old Havana where he establishes an art school, teaching young students the craft of metal sculpture through casting and other relevant techniques. The old city’s colonial architecture provides the inspiration he was looking for. His first iron sculptures are fueled by his ingrained knowledge of cabinetmaking. Inspired by Manuel de Falla’s music, Kieff completes his “Seven Spanish Folklore Songs”. These works synthesize his knowledge and craftmanship of woodwork with musical rhythm. He loses interest in the materials he previously worked with such as bronze, marble and wood, and focuses almost exclusively on iron. These new works find their inspiration in a different way than those of the past. For the first time, he can now cement his lifelong influences with his material explorations. The references to Falla, Cervantes and Garcia Lorca amongst others - and their themes - had for the artist finally found a home in the medium of iron.

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Relentlessly meditating on new works, Kieff has always been a solitary artist dreaming of finding his way home. After having spent more than 60 years abroad, he finally achieved returning to Spain with great effort and sacrifice. Being a nomad has formed both the individual and artist alike, motivating an ongoing pursuit of excellence. At the age of 84, Kieff continues to work in the towm of Tendilla (Spain). As he says: What counts in this life is work. It may exhaust you, but it won’t kill you.