ZABAL

Artists & Projects

The Basque Government, through the Etxepare Basque Institute, which enacts as an ambassador for the Basque culture abroad and encourages the international diffusion of the Basque artists of all disciplines, has launched ZABAL, an international program determined to host international curators in the Basque Country.

This program has been designed and is coordinated by Artingenium.

In the aim of offering new possibilities to Basque artists and creating new means of making contact with the international context, ZABAL aims to show the art context of the Basque Country hosting international curators, art critics, and Museum directors, in the Basque Country.  The program will be mainly based in generating individual encounters between international curators and the artistic community in the aim of driving and promoting the internalization of Basque artists abroad.

ZABAL 1: Ruth Estévez

Ruth Estévez, co-curator of the 34th Biennial of Sao Paulo. Her stay in the Basque Country took place from the 18th to the 21st of November, 2019. During her stay, Ruth Estévez made an open presentation on the 34th Biennial of Sao Paolo, on the 20th of November, at the Fine Arts Museum, in Bilbao.

Ruth Estévez
Vista da fachada do Pavilhão Bienal. São Paulo, 05/03/2011. © Andres Otero / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo
ZABAL 2: Ruangrupa

Ruangrupa, curators of documenta 15, Kassel. The stay of Ade Darmawan, Indra Ameng and Ayse Gülec took place from the 16th to the 22nd of February, 2020. During their stay, they made a public presentation of documenta 15, on the 18th of February, at the Fine Arts Museum, in Bilbao.

As a result of this visit, the publisher and independent public space of Bilbao, Consonni, has been chosen to participate in the renowned international exhibition Documenta 15, which will open in June 2022 in Kassel, Germany.

Ruangrupa
Layar Tancep, Lonely Market 2009
Fest in The Vallea, Lembah 2016
Ruangrupa curatorial workshop 2009
ZABAL 3: Marina Otero

Marina Otero, co-curator of the 13th Biennial of Shanghai. Her stay in the Basque Country will take place from the 15th to the 17th November, 2021. During her stay, Marina Otero will make  an open presentation on the 13th Biennial of Shanghai, on the 16th November, at the Artium Museum, in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Marina Otero © Boudewijn Bollmann
Rueda de prensa Marina Otero ©Artingenium
ZABAL 4: Cecilia Alemani

June Crespo’s participation in the Venice Biennale is a result of the ZABAL programme launched by the Etxepare Euskal Institutua. Through this project, the curator of the Venice Biennale, Cecilia Alemani, had the opportunity to learn about the work of several Basque creators, being one of the results the invitation of June Crespo to participate in the exhibition.

June Crespo's Artwork at the Venice Biennale 2022. © Michele Agostinis
June Crespo's Artwork at the Venice Biennale 2022. © Michele Agostinis
ZABAL 5: David Teh

David Teh, curator of the Istanbul Biennale, visited the Basque Country to get to know the local artistic context first-hand.

During his stay, he has known museums, creative centers, artistic institutions and artists and creators/ whose research refers to regionalism, in a broad and inclusive sense, and its connection with contemporary art. His interest also lies in the intersections between experimental art and literature.

David Teh ©Iñigo Ibañez
David Teh, Rahul Gudipudi, Mikel Chillida, Irene Larraza & Lourdes Fernández en Chillida Leku ©Artingenium
Oier Etxeberria & David Teh ©Artingenium
Diego Vivanco & David Teh ©Artingenium
ZABAL 6: Rahul Gudipudi

Rahul Gudipudi, curator of Art Jameel, visited the Basque Country to learn first-hand about the local artistic context.
During his visit, in addition to visiting museums, creative centers and artistic institutions, he has shown interest in meeting artists who work with public art projects and integrate nature and communities into their practices. Agriculture, climate crisis, food systems, water rights, land sovereignty, governance, rurality, collective practices or indigenous knowledge systems.

Rahul Gudipudi ©Iñigo Ibañez
Cóctel con artistas ©Artingenium
Rahul Gudipudi & Miriam Isasi ©Artingenium
ZABAL 7: Manuel Borja-Villel, Diane Lima, Hélio Menezes

The 35th edition of the São Paulo Biennial will be held in 2023 and its curators have visited the Basque Country these days to know first-hand the context of the Basque artists and creators/as/as of the performative and audiovisual arts fields. The capitals of Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa have hosted Manuel Borja-Villel, art historian and Director of the Reina Sofía Museum; Diane Lima, independent curator, writer and researcher; and Hélio Menezes, anthropologist, critic and researcher.

Catalina Lozano, Manuel-Borja Villel, Helio Menezes, Diane Lima, Erlea Maneros & Beatriz Herráez en el Museo Artium de Vitoria/Gasteiz ©Artingenium
Manuel Borja Villel ©Artingenium
Helio Menezes, Diane Lima, & Lucia Agirre en el Museo Guggenheim de Bilbao ©Artingenium
Helio Menezes, Diane Lima, Cristina Egaña & Miren Jaio en Bulegoa z/b, Bilbao ©Isabel de Naverán
Helio Menezes, June Crespo, Diane Lima, Isabel de Naverán & Pedro Carreras en la Galería Carreras Múgica de Bilbao ©Artingenium
ZABAL 8: Cosmin Costinas and Inti Guerrero

The curators of the Sydney Biennale , Cosmin Costinas and Inti Guerrero, have met during these days numerous Basque creators and contemporary art centers in Bilbao, Donostia-San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz.

They investigate traditions that reflect the pagan and carnival, pre-Christian pagan cultures and the expression of the world’s cultural diversity.

Rueda de prensa en el Museo Artium @Adrian Ruiz de Hierro
Los comisarios con la artista Sahatsa Jauregi
Museo de Alfarería Vasca
Museo San Telmo
ZABAL 9: Anton Vidokle

Anton Vidokle, curator of the 14th Shanghai Biennale, met numerous Basque creators and visited contemporary art centres in Bilbao, Donostia/San Sebastián and Vitoria.

Anton Vidokle analyzes critical discourses around culture and art theory and his research focuses on understanding the cosmos that conditions society.

Anton Vidokle (Etxepare Institutua) © Etxepare Institutua
Presentation at Tabakalera - © Etxepare Institutua
Guillermo Zuaznabar, Anton Vidokle and Lourdes Fernández (Museo Bellas Artes) - © Artingenium
Itziar Barrio, Fernando Perez, Anton Vidokle and Lourdes Fernández (Azkuna Zentroa) - © Artingenium
Imanol Otaegi, Anton Vidokle, Irene Larraza & Lourdes Fernandez (Etxepare Institutua) © Etxepare Institutua