GALLERIES in BILBAO
Basque country has made a recent effort to assisting its people with community spaces and promoting arts and culture. This recent trip took us into several public spaces for people of all ages to learn, research, grow and enjoy. There are amazing community centers for the citizens, and visitors, to network and engage in creativity and community.
Sala Rekalde was one gallery space that really blew me away! Originally THIS was the place to see the big-name artists, but after the Guggenheim came to town, with some forward thinking, their mission changed. Sala Rekalde reinvented themselves with a new curatorial vision, this state-run space is now dedicated to promoting and raising awareness of contemporary artistic practice. All art shown here reflects the controversy of the world and the art of today. The main focus is on exhibiting experimental works by emerging artists whose work is still being evaluated.
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Sala Rekalde is divided into a few different spaces. The relatively small front window space is quaint, easily seen from the street, and a welcoming way to enter the gallery. If you're just passing by, you might think this is all there is to offer. But the large hidden backspace(s) had a totally different vibe, with open and spacious galleries that had a loosely segmented flow. We were instantly immersed in an installation about fashion and inspiration. The various materials and forms were a refreshing blend of both chaotic and coordinated creative expression. The furthest room displayed video that gave additional atmosphere to the space, and a video that coincided with the large installation. The space was well laid out, giving the art both space to breathe and to allow the viewer to enjoy the elements and silhouettes. The exhibition were presented in a very powerful and immersive way with proper dialogue. I could have easily spent an hour or more in there reading all the didactics and getting to know the work.
WEBSITE: http://www.salarekalde.bizkaia.net/
HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. / 5 - 8:30 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. / Monday closed
Sala Ondare ​is a government-run gallery that hosts exhibitions, both of its own production and those organized by other entities. The mission of this space is to curate exhibitions, with varied themes, that relate to the cultural and artistic heritage of Bizkaia (Basque Country).
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I am always excited to learn about different cultures, but this sounded like it might be a tad dry. It was anything but that, this show had the most in-the-times display we had seen! We experienced an innovative show about printing, its history and an evolutionary look into the future. The presentation was very high end with digital and interactive components; the one BIG set back for us was that there were no English translations (Spanish and Basque only). The gallerist was very helpful and took the time to tell us about the exhibition and the mission of the space but we left the site feeling with a feeling that we missed out.
WEBSITE: http://bizkaikoa.bizkaia.eus/detalleContenido.asp?id=9&t=4
HOURS: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. / 5 - 8:30 p.m. / Sunday closed
Azkuna Zentroa is an innovative, multi-disciplinary space that provides opportunities for knowledge, creativity, and recreation. This Basque government-owned building houses a multimedia library, a physical activity center, a swimming pool, and exhibition room, an auditorium, movie theaters, a multi-purpose hall, restaurants, cafeterias, and a shop. The venue is also host to a number of community and literary events.
One of our main interests in visiting this space was for the gallery exhibition. There was collateral/verbiage in English, Spanish and of course, Basque about the exhibition so you could be knowledgeable about the work and what you were seeing. The space had booming ceilings, with a partial wall dividing the large room in half. We saw a retrospective for Angela de la Cruz called Homeless, which presented diverse experimentation with the language of painting and sculpture, drawing on topics such as climate change and social and political inequalities. The presentation was minimal and well curated. Plenty of space for you to walk around view and reflect. The work was contemporary and engaging, high quality and educational.​
WEBSITE: https://www.azkunazentroa.eus/az/ingl/home
HOURS: Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. / Mondays closed
We were in town during the Christmas holidays so the business hours were more limited than usual. We did find a couple of independent galleries we really enjoyed; each had its own specialty and reason to shine. Our favorite was:
Espacio Marzana was an intimate yet strong space that exhibited contemporary paintings. The gallerist was very friendly and inviting. Their mission was about support for contemporary and emerging local artists. He told us about the artist and work, and happily discussed the other contemporary galleries around town. Exhibition well done!
WEBSITE: http://espaciomarzana.com/ HOURS: Monday to Friday 4:30 - 8:30 p.m.
This finishes our Bilbao gallery review. I hope you find it as amazing as we did. Please let us, and our followers, know your thoughts and comments!