ZABAL

German curator Vincent Schier, a member of the Skulptur Projekte Münster 2027 curatorial team, has visited the Basque Country to gain firsthand insight into its artistic landscape, including its key agents, venues, projects, and models of contemporary creation. His visit is part of the ZABAL internationalisation programme, promoted by the Etxepare Basque Institute to foster direct ties between international art professionals and the Basque art scene.

Skulptur Projekte Münster is one of Europe´s leading exhibition projects in the area of public art and sculpture. Held every ten years since 1977 in the German city of Münster, it transforms the urban space into a vast stage for artistic experimentation, presenting works by international artists selected to intervene at a variety of spaces around the city. Set to return in 2027, it will be directed by the Croatian curatorial collective WHW (What, How & for Whom), comprised of Ivet Ćurlin, Nataša Ilić, and Sabina Sabolović. As part of the curatorial team, Vincent Schier contributes to the project´s conceptual and artistic design.

Between 8 and 11 October, Vicent Schier visited Bilbao, Donostia/San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz to gain a deeper understanding of the local artistic ecosystem. His itinerary included visits to institutions including the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Artium Museoa, Tabakalera, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Etxepare Basque Institute. He also met with artists and collectives whose practices are in line with the interests of the curatorial team at Skuptur Projekte Münster 2027.

Schier´s visit provided an opportunity to showcase the work of Basque artists on a leading international stage, and to open avenues for future collaboration with Skulptur Projekte Münster. It also enables the Etxepare Basque Institute to solidify the ZABAL programme’s role as a strategic platform for building enduring connections between the Basque and international art scenes, and to enhance the Basque art ecosystem´s presence on the global contemporary art map.

WHW focuses its work primarily on sculpture, installation and performance, while maintaining an active interest in all artistic forms and languages. Its approach is based on the idea that the notion of sculpture is in constant transformation, which has led it to incorporate both ephemeral formats and participatory projects as central elements of its practice.

WHW’s curatorial approach is marked by a critical focus on social and environmental sustainability, fostering dialogue between rural and urban environments, encouraging public participation, and exploring the potential of digital spaces as territories for cultural intervention. It strongly believes in the democratic power of art in public spaces, and its curatorial work is guided by this principle.

Skulptur Projekte Münster

Skulptur Projekte Münster takes a unique approach to the subject by examining the ambivalent relationship between art and the public space through commissioning site-specific works that respond to the urban context and encourage active public participation. With each edition, the featured works offer new perspectives on the territory, encourage critical thinking, and reshape how residents and visitors connect with their environment. This interaction between creation, landscape and the public is one of the fundamental pillars of the project. In 2027, it will once again establish Münster as a leading hub for contemporary art on the global stage.

Established as a major event on the global art circuit with a unique format – its time span and focus on the urban environment – the project provides a significant snapshot of the state of contemporary sculpture and a critical discourse on ways of producing and experiencing artwork in the public realm.

Vicent Schier´s visit to the Basque Country is part of ZABAL, a programme promoted by the Etxepare Basque Institute aimed at supporting contemporary Basque art internationally and strengthening ties between the Basque and global artistic communities. The programme, which receives technical support from Artingenium — an organisation specialising in the management of projects connected to both local and international contemporary art — regularly invites curators, art critics and cultural institution managers. This facilitates their first-hand experience of the Basque art scene and promotes direct dialogue with regional artists and agents.

ZABAL helps build international networks that support long-term exchange and collaboration between artists, professionals, organizations, and cultural institutions in the Basque Country, while promoting strong ties with major international contemporary art exhibitions.

Launched in 2019, ZABAL has fostered collaborations with some of the most important events in contemporary art worldwide, including the São Paulo Biennial, Documenta Fifteen, the Shanghai Biennial, the Venice Biennale, the Istanbul Biennial and the Sydney Biennial, contributing decisively to the international dissemination and recognition of Basque art.