Basque contemporary art on display at ARCO in Madrid

The International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO, opened its doors from March 4 to 8 for its 45th edition at IFEMA Madrid.

Once again, a sizeable Basque contingent attended the annual international event: more than a hundred artists, gallery owners, museum directors, curators, collectors and representatives of cultural organisations and institutions gathered at ARCO. This event has strengthened the international artistic ecosystem of Euskal Herria in Madrid and raised the profile of the Basque Art System on the global stage.

International showcases like ARCO Madrid continue the commitment expressed by the contributors to the Basque Art System on February 19 at the Artium Museum in Vitoria-Gasteiz. It is in this context that institutions provide support to Basque artists while also promoting the international visibility of the Basque artistic ecosystem. A significant portion of the works by Basque creators showcased at ARCO Madrid are included in the BASQUE. ART strategy.

Similarly, during ARCO, the Basque Government announced several initiatives, including plans to strengthen the international presence of Basque art. Promoting the careers of artists and cultural contributors by increasing Basque art´s presence in international circuits and spaces is seen as an important step forward. All of this would facilitate progress toward a more connected and recognised art system.

Basque. Art.

The gathering at ARCO is part of the Basque. Art. strategy. This shared strategy works along four main fronts to strengthen the Basque Art System: raising the international profile of Basque art; recognising and supporting artistic talent; connecting art and society; and fostering collaboration between museums, art centres and creative spaces. A publication linked to the Basque. Art. strategy was also presented, bringing together the editorial projects and publications supported by the Basque Government´s Department of Culture and Language Policy in the field of plastic and visual arts.

Large contingent

The Basque delegation was well represented at this international showcase for contemporary art held in Spain´s capital. Among those in attendance were the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Culture and Language Policy, Ibone Bengoetxea, and the Director of the Etxepare Basque Institute, Irene Larraza, as well as heads of museums and art centres in the Basque Country, such as Miren Arzalluz (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao), Miguel Zugaza (Bilbao Fine Arts Museum), Beatriz Herráez (Artium Museum), Edurne Ormazabal (Tabakalera), Susana Soto (San Telmo Museum) and Mireia Massagué (Chillida Leku Museum).

Alongside them, artists, gallery owners and professionals from the Basque Country also made their mark, including Alain Urrutia, Asier Mendizabal, Damaris Pan, Gala Knörr, Ines Medina, Juan Perez Agirregoikoa, June Crespo, Mari Puri Herrero and Prudencio Irazabal, as well as gallery owners Guillermo Carreras, Gregorio Cibrian and Cy Schnabel.