Until May 28, 2022, Itzal aktiboa is hosting the exhibition "Eibarko emakumeen aztarnak - Traces of the women of Eibar" in the Prison des Evêques in Saint Jean Pied de Port.
Ceramics, paintings, photographs, installations... created by 11 women artists from Eibar, in Gipuzkoa: Virginia Arakistain, Esther Astarloa Izarra, Marina Barrena Ortuoste, Maialen Belaustegi Lapeyra, Bakarne Elejalde, Esther Galarza, Natalie Hickey, Leire Kareaga Azkarraga, Viviane Straub, Iratxe Unanue Osoro and Esperanza Zabala.
The present exhibition follows on from an exhibition in November 2020, in which Itzal Aktiboa presented the works of 15 artists from among its members and collaborators at the Portalea cultural centre in Eibar. The aim of the current exhibition is to make known the contribution of the women of Eibar to the development of their city and the transmission of its values.
With almost 27,500 inhabitants, Eibar extends along a narrow valley between steep mountains, halfway between San Sebastian and Bilbao. Its location has played a key role in its growth and character, with an urban core where, until recently, factories and workshops stood side by side with houses and apartment buildings.
Historically, the main economic activity of Eibar was based on the manufacture of iron, which in turn gave rise to a flourishing arms industry. In the mid-19th century, Eusebio Zuloaga, a gunsmith who was the grandfather of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga, introduced the technique of damascening -- the decoration of swords, guns, and other objects with gold and silver inlaid in the steel.
Today, damascening is hardly practised in Eibar, but the arms industry has diversified, giving rise to a multitude of products. Eibar is famous for its bicycles (Orbea, B.H., G.A.C.), its sewing machines (ALFA), its household appliances…
In all these areas, the women of Eibar -- innovative, visionary, enterprising and creative, forged by the liberal and industrial character of the city -- have played a key role. This exhibition aims to offer a window on Eibar through the eyes of these 11 women artists, whose common denominator is their belonging to this community.
The exhibition is open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., daily except on Tuesdays. Free entry.
Place: Apezpikuen Presondegia
Town: Donibane Garazi
