Atelier d’Guide: Who We Are

We are Andris and Débora, and Atelier d’Guide is the space where we are building our work in Guide, Trás-os-Montes. Before returning to Portugal, we spent several years in Latvia, where we were co-founders of Obelisk Farm, a hemp farm that brought together cultivation, education, and hands-on experiences. Even as life led us in a new direction, many of the ideas formed there stayed with us. Back in Portugal, in a family house that belonged to Débora’s father, those ideas found a new place to grow. Established in 2026, Atelier d’Guide is part of that continuation. Our work here grows from a close relationship with hemp and flax. We are interested in exploring what these plants can do, how they can be transformed, and how knowledge can grow through direct experience, observation, and research. Atelier d’Guide brings together different parts of what we do. It is where we develop products, test ideas, work with materials, and deepen our understanding of the processes behind them. It is also where we open that work to others through workshops, courses, and shared moments of learning. Atelier d’Guide reflects the way we want to work and live: open to experimentation and attentive to the possibilities that can emerge from the territory around us.

ABOUT ANDRIS

Andris is a Latvian food technologist and hemp practitioner with many years of experience working with hemp across cultivation, food production, processing, construction and education. Together with Débora, he founded Obelisk Farm, where they cultivated hemp and also became the home of the Hemp School, the only hemp school in Europe, where they shared practical knowledge through courses, workshops and demonstrations covering areas including hemp cultivation, food, fibre, paper and construction. In 2024, Andris' work through the Hemp School received international recognition when it won the European Training Foundation's Green Skills Award, selected as the first-place project from almost 316 applications from 53 countries. At Atelier d’Guide, he brings this experience to the development of products, courses and practical applications, continuing to explore the possibilities of hemp and other materials.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2026 — Arte Aparte XII: European Contemporary Art Fair
Espacio Belleartes, Cáceres, Spain | 9 October – 29 November 2026
Selected artist with VEIDOLS I at the 12th edition of Arte Aparte, an international contemporary art fair bringing together artists and projects across a wide range of disciplines.

2026 — ISLANDS 2026: Soil & Terra
Art Center Caravel, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | 21 September – 1 November 2026
Presented Earth Palette, a new installation made from handmade hemp paper coloured with natural soil pigments. The work explores the colours, textures and material memory of soil, reflecting on the relationship between landscape, cultivation and craft.

2026 — Still Life: International Online Group Exhibition
No. 35 Gallery, Online | October 2026
Participated with Matter Becoming in an international online group exhibition exploring still life through objects, materials, everyday life and personal meaning.

ABOUT DÉBORA

Débora is a Portuguese researcher and communications professional currently pursuing a PhD in Agribusiness and Sustainability at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). Her work brings together sustainability research with years of practical experience working with hemp, rural entrepreneurship and the development and communication of small-scale initiatives. In 2013, she and Andris moved to rural Latvia and established Obelisk Farm, where she was responsible for communication and marketing while also being closely involved in the development of the farm and its activities. At Atelier d’Guide, Débora brings this combination of research, communication and long-term practical experience with hemp to the development of products, educational activities and new projects.

CONTACT US

WHAT WE DO AT THE ATELIER

EDUCATION

Workshops available:

Hemp Building Workshop
Hemp Plaster Workshop
Hemp Paper Workshop
Hemp Paper Mask Workshop
Flax Paper Workshop

Courses available:

Hemp Building Course
Hemp Plastering Course

PRODUCTS

Food products:

Flax-based products

Non-food products:

Hemp-based products
Flax-based products

PROJECTS

Forum Synergies Scholarship Programme
National and international projects
Collaborative projects and initiatives

CONSULTANCY

Hemp and flax consultancy

BOOK HERE

upcoming events

We’re pleased to be part of Islands 2026: Soil & Terra, opening on 21 September at Art Center Caravel in Funchal, Madeira. Andris will present Earth Palette, a new installation exploring the colours, textures and memory of soil through hemp handmade paper

Our work VEIDOLS I has been selected for the 12th edition of Arte Aparte, a European contemporary art fair, taking place from 9 October to 29 November 2026

Our next Hemp Plaster Course will take place on 6 March 2027. Bookings are now open, with early bird prices available for a limited time

A LOOK BACK: THE OPENING

On 25 May 2026, we opened the doors of the atelier for the first time. The inauguration was a chance to bring together the people around us and to start a conversation about what it means to build a life and work in a rural area. We shared the day with people from different backgrounds, coming together to talk about the challenges and opportunities of creating new paths in the interior of Portugal, alongside an introduction to the work we are beginning at the atelier. It was the first public moment of a new chapter and a day we were very happy to share. The inauguration was filmed by Viver numa Aldeia Transmontana, who captured the day and the conversation around it. Click to watch the video.

SUPPORT OUT WORK

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