Basque Artist Program, 2015–19
07.08.2022 - 09.06.2022
This exhibition brings together artwork by ten artists who participated in the Basque Artist Program, a joint initiative of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Launched in 2015, and open to artists who were born or are residents in the Basque Country, this program selects two persons each year to take part in an intensive orientation of the New York art scene, providing participants with a unique learning experience designed to foster exchange as well as to advance their professional skills. Among the selected artists included in this exhibition are Raquel Asensi, Nora Aurrekoetxea Etxebarria, Helena Goñi, Jon Gorospe, Gala Knörr, Maite Pinto, Karla Tobar Abarca, Alain Urrutia, Cristian Villavicencio, and Diego Vivanco. These contemporary artists explore notions of identity, history, representation, and both collective and individual memory across a myriad of mediums, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, site-specific installation, and performance. Concentrating on recent artwork, this presentation features a cohesive selection of works from various contemporary art practices, focusing on the work produced by these artists after their participation in the Program.
Curated by: Lucía Agirre and Geaninne Gutiérrez-Guimarães, curators, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Karla Tobar Abarca (Quito, 1981)
<scanner-pack>project_documentary, 2022
Video, color, stereo sound, 30 min
Collection of the artist
Photo © Karla Tobar
The Exhibition
Raquel Asensi
Bilbao, 1989
Raquel Asensi (Bilbao, 1989)
abyss – ālis, 2022
Glazed stoneware, seaweed ash, and wood
150 x 90 cm
Collection of the artist
Photo © Raquel Asensi
Nora Aurrekoetxea Etxebarria
Bilbao, 1989
Nora Aurrekoetxea Etxebarria (Bilbao, 1989)
Spooning, 2022
Bronze, tin, silver, corrugated rods, and plasterboard
Site-specific dimensions
Artist’s collection
Photo © Nora Aurrekoetxea
Helena Goñi
Bilbao, 1990
Helena Goñi (Bilbao, 1990)
Lynn Holding Books, 2022
C-print
60 x 80 cm
Ed. 1/3 + 2 AP
Collection of the artist
Photo © Helena Goñi
Jon Gorospe
Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1986
Jon Gorospe (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1986)
Polished Cities, 2018–21
Dye-sublimation prints on aluminum
Site-specific dimensions
Artist’s collection
Photo © Jon Gorospe
Gala Knörr
Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1984
Gala Knörr (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1984)
Young Cowboy Gazing, 2022
Oil and oil stick on canvas
162 x 130 cm
Collection of the artist
Photo © Gala Knörr
Maite Pinto
Logroño, 1993
Maite Pinto (Logroño, 1993)
Human Chain, 2018
Etching and aquatint on paper
Plate size: 34 x 25 cm
Paper: 46 x 38 cm
Collection of the artist
Photo © Maite Pinto
Karla Tobar Abarca
Quito, 1981
Karla Tobar Abarca(Quito, 1981)
Twisted Paintings, 2019
Four rolls of transparent PVC, stainless steel wire, LED light, and hooks
200 x 120 cm each, site-specific dimensions
Collection of the artist
Photo © Karla Tobar Abarca
Alain Urrutia
Bilbao, 1981
Alain Urrutia (Bilbao, 1981)
Memento, 2021 – Ongoing
Oil on linen, wood, mirror, linen, and vintage offset prints
Site-specific dimensions
Collection of the artist
Photo © Alain Urrutia
Cristian Villavicencio
Quito, 1984
Cristian Villavicencio (Quito, 1984)
Whistle (from the Hybrid Organisms series), 2021
Ceramic, water, and programmed mechanical system
50 x 40 x 50 cm
Collection of the artist
Photo © Cristian Villavicencio
Diego Vivanco
Bilbao, 1988
Diego Vivanco (Bilbao, 1988)
Human Flag, 2013
Lenticular image
140 x 105 cm
Collection of the artist
Photo © Diego Vivanco