DAY ONE:
CULTURAL CENTERS, GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
CULTURAL CENTERS:
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Today is a day to pack in arts and culture. Our first destination was Koldo Mitxelena Kulturenea. Owned by the Basque Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the building hosts cultural events and up to six art exhibitions throughout the year. The main floors consist of a library and conference hall for the community to enjoy and learn. The lower level is dedicated to art exhibitions that educate, using history, in creative ways.
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When entering an old historic building it is always shocking to me to see and experience contemporary art and white-cube spaces. At first sight the work seemed out of place, but as we stepped inside it was a truly an amazing environment. We were warmly welcomed by the gallerist and given an explanation of the exhibit. The space had a good flow and the exhibitions were well presented. The curation included multiple artists displayed in five separate rooms, the surrounding hallway was also utilized well for a timeline presentation. In this particular exhibit, all media were was represented: sculpture, sound, video, painting, photography, and collage.
WEBSITE: http://kmk.gipuzkoakultura.eus/
HOURS: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
AAT-TIP: (FREE) Throughout the holidays there were many pop-up holiday art markets where individuals were selling exclusive handcrafted gifts and artworks. The displays, quality and craftsmanship of the work in San Sebastian was very unique. Make sure you leave time to explore unplanned stops.
AAT-TIP: Throughout the holidays there were many pop-up holiday art markets where individuals were selling exclusive handcrafted gifts and artworks. The displays, quality and craftsmanship of the work in San Sebastian was very unique. Make sure you leave time to explore unplanned stops.
The city itself is divided by the Urumea River, which is crossed by three ornate bridges inspired by late-19th-century French architecture. The buildings surrounding the river, and throughout the city, are amazing with very historic and detailed metal and stonework. As you walk along take note, and I dare you to try and soak it all in.
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Our next stop, the Tabakalera, is an arts center not to miss!!! The building was San Sebastian's tobacco factory for 90 years. Changes in the industry forced the facility to close in 2003. The building was then purchased by the Basque government which reinvented it as an international culture center for the community.
The main facade has been kept intact to preserve the building’s character, but the inside is now an open-floor-plan, multidisciplinary center for contemporary culture. Its mission is twofold: to be a center of creativity and to offer a program of activities for the public. Their objective is to promote contemporary cultural creation in different areas and in all its phases (research, production, exhibition) as well as to generate and share knowledge. The six-level complex has fresh and continuously rotating exhibitions and events from film and fine art to artist talks and magic shows. It creates programming for all audiences and makes available, to the general public, tools for approaching and accessing contemporary culture and creation.
Tabakalera also extends a permanent open exhibition call to all individuals, or groups, who reside in the Basque country and are dedicated to contemporary art. The number of exhibitions varies from year to year according to awarded submissions.
We spent a couple of hours exploring the building. This contemporary space is amazing with a light and bright feel, like a minimalist factory for creation. The building was well organized, nothing out of place, and the signage assists in easily making your way around. There is a light buzz of conversation and excitement echoing throughout; a cafe and gift shop are located at the entry for people to relax, have discussions and enjoy the space. We went from floor to floor checking things out, there were creative laboratories with the newest of technologies for children of all ages, scheduled performances, and a great rooftop deck with spectacular views of the city. Both art and design were displayed in the public area as well as in a few designated gallery spaces, including a space for rotating artists in residence doing live artmaking or performances. A favorite during our visit was a group’s exploration of recycled design and futuristic thought. The participants had some great ideas and the work was well curated and displayed.
WEBSITE: https://www.tabakalera.eu/en
HOURS: Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. / Friday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. / Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
AAT-TIP: People-watching here is great; Basque country is very stylish. The locals look great while in their routines around town. Ladies watch for fashion trends- the shoes are fabulous! I found it fascinating.
GALLERIES:
There were not a lot of contemporary galleries in San Sebastian and our visiting in December made it even more challenging to find venues open. One of the galleries we were happy we visited was Arteco Galeria; it was a small space, in a hard to locate area, but it was well worth the challenge. The gallerist was very friendly, greeted us and engaged us in conversation about the gallery and exhibition. Arteco is a contemporary space that shows emerging to established artists alternating between Basque/Spanish and international representation. They had a very polished eye and fine-tuned curation. We happened to see a sculpture exhibition by Gorka Chillida, the grandson of national hero and sculptor Eduardo and son of established sculptor Pedro Chillida, exhibiting his shell-like metal forms that had an abstract and refined feel of the surrounding ocean and nature. Gorka is definitely someone to watch in the ranks of the art scene for sure.
WEBSITE: http://www.artekogaleria.com/
HOURS: Monday - Friday: 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. / Saturday 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. & 5 - 8:30 p.m.
Representing young and mid-career artists, CIBRIÁN’s objective is to create a space for conversation between local and international artists. Cibrian is creating a program that promotes its artists internationally to the contemporary art scene.
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This space looked tiny from the outside, almost just a front window display, but once inside it opened up into many rooms including a lower level. The gallerist was friendly and explained the revised vision of the gallery and a brief explanation of the exhibition. Being a lover of contemporary art this space was very refreshing. The gallery shows a diverse representation of work, by multiple artists. The pieces on display made you think about not only the meaning behind the work but about the uses of mediums and why.
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The exhibition we saw discussed art as an attitude. It supported artists who questioned the limits of academic restraints and showed how art can be accessible. The artists went beyond the boundaries of painting and created ways to approach outcomes and practices from very different contexts. The statement emphasized local connections but also took a look at artists on a worldwide spectrum.
WEBSITE: https://cibriangallery.com/
HOURS: Unlisted
MUSEUMS:
Located at the break between beaches in the contemporary-looking Kursall cube building, Sala Kubo Kuxta hosts temporary exhibitions dedicated to art in all forms. It is a large spacious gallery in a multi-function center. There was plenty of literature along with descriptions of the exhibition available. There were a handful of people, of all ages, strolling through the space at various paces.
We happened to see The idea in a sign which presented pairings of art that examined the dialogue existing between ancient African artworks with contemporary pieces. It was an interesting concept and show. Off the entry, there was an additional room that exhibited contemporary pieces of sculpture and photography examined the relationships that they had.
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We spent a little over an hour going through the exhibition which consisted of one large room and three smaller rooms off to the side (one of them being dedicated to video). The exhibition was well-curated lots of room for the art to breathe. We could have spent more time here as well. Well worth the visit, and for free, there is no reason to miss it.
WEBSITE: https://www.sala-kubo-aretoa.eus/
HOURS: Tuesday - Sunday 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. / 5 - 9 p.m.
AAT-TIP: Spain is serious about their nativity scenes, and San Sebastian is no exception. We experienced a couple of parks and festivals that not only depicted the Holy Family surrounded by farm animals, but they displayed the entire town of Bethlehem in nearly a dozen different scenes. Plaza de Gipuzkoa had the most impressive display with more than 150 one-meter-tall figurines. The locals were out viewing and discussing the display with their families - it was fun to see experience.
This finishes our San Sebastian arts & culture review. I hope you find it as amazing as we did. Please let us, and our followers, know your thoughts and comments!
DAY TWO: Shoreline sculpture tour
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