The cross-border project KOMETAK held the first edition of its artist residency programme dedicated to the visual arts. As part of the initiative, Basque artist Damaris Pan completed a residency at the Zébra3 centre in Bordeaux, where she presented both her creative process and the project she developed during her stay. At the same time, the French artist Matthias Malefond undertook a six-week residency at the Huarte Centre for Contemporary Art.

The residency culminated in the installation ‘Qu´est-ce que vous voulez me demander avec cette question si compliquée ?’ (‘What are you trying to ask me with such a complicated question?’), which Damaris Pan will present at Labea, the exhibition space in the Ciudadela of Pamplona, where it will be on display from 24 July to 17 September.

The Bilbao-based artist created twelve white stoneware baguettes from which eyes emerge. These forms, which appear friendly and even childlike, evoke a deliberate sense of ambivalence. While they call to mind domestic life and tradition, they also invite more complex interpretations relating to identity, power, and collective memory.

The exhibition is organised by the organisations behind the KOMETAK project – the Etxepare Basque Institute, the Huarte Centre for Contemporary Art and Zébra3 – in collaboration with the Pamplona City Council. In addition, the artist will meet with the public during the exhibition as part of an open discussion.

Labea

Labea is one of the best-preserved historic buildings in Pamplona’s Citadel. Built between the late 16th century and 1644 as an oven for cooking food, it now serves as a venue for contemporary art exhibitions and experimental installations.

The building preserves its distinctive teardrop-shaped footprint and its solid brick dome, crowned by a central chimney. Built of stone and brick, it still retains its original Ezkaba cobblestone floor and is fitted with a temperature and humidity control system, as well as fire and smoke detection systems.

KOMETAK

The project is also backed by the Nouvelle Aquitaine Euskadi Navarre Euroregion, underscoring its strategic importance for cross border cultural cooperation. Launched through a collaboration between the Huarte Contemporary Art Centre and Zébra3, this inaugural edition of KOMETAK establishes the project for the long term: gradually broadening into other disciplines, welcoming new partners and consolidating itself as a regional cultural cooperation network.