- Bilbao City Council’s arts production centre is open until late this evening, 24 June, and is showcasing the work produced by the resident artists who have received Production Grants to carry out artistic projects whilst in residence at BilbaoArte during the current academic year.
- The recently opened group exhibition by resident artists at the URIBITARTE40 Gallery will remain open until 6 September.
- As a preview of the 2026–2027 programme, the names of the new resident artists at BilbaoArte are being announced, along with those who will hold solo exhibitions at the URIBITARTE40 Gallery and other cultural centres across the country, thanks to the agreements and partnerships that have been signed.
(Bilbao, 24 June 2026). – The Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, accompanied by the Councillor for Culture and Governance, Gonzalo Olabarria; representatives of the Board of Directors and the City Council; and the Deputy Director of BilbaoArte, Helena López Camacho, took part this morning in the final day of the BilbaoArte Foundation’s ‘Open Doors 2026’ event.
The Bilbao City Council’s arts production centre is showcasing, in the studios located at its headquarters at Urazurrutia 32, the works created by the 12 resident artists through the Foundation’s Grants for Artistic Projects with Studio Allocation during the 2025–2026 academic year. The works will be on display and open to the public until 9.00 pm today, 24 June.
The galleries of the municipal art centre are hosting works by contemporary artists of various ages and backgrounds, who this year are M. Benito Píriz (Panda), Manu Blázquez, Blanca Castro Ponce, Fátima Conesa, Juana García-Pozuelo, Auritz Iñurrieta Orbezua, Fermín Moreno Martín, Antoine Nessi, Gareth Phillips, Laurita Siles, Amaya Suberviola and Fernando Villena.
During this morning’s visit, the Mayor and the institutional delegation were able to see first-hand the creative process and the artists’ latest works, and congratulated them on their work. Furthermore, the Mayor of Bilbao noted that they have been in Bilbao over the last few months to develop their work, experience the city and exchange ideas with their fellow artists in residence and the BilbaoArte team. “Spending almost a year in our city, working side by side with other artists, is enriching in every sense – from learning new techniques to consolidating knowledge and passing it on to others. But it is not just that; on a personal level and in terms of life experience, Bilbao also leaves its mark on them, which is why a good number of these artists choose our city as their place of residence. It is a pleasure to be a magnet for so much talent and also to see that talent showcased wherever they exhibit in the future.”
Juan Mari Aburto has also reaffirmed the “City Council’s commitment to maintaining and strengthening the model embodied by Bilbao’s arts production centre, so that it continues to serve as an international benchmark for the training and professional development of artists, as well as for positioning Bilbao and the Basque Country on the map of contemporary culture”.
This support was welcomed by the deputy director of BilbaoArte, Helena López Camacho, who emphasised the importance of the professional development of artists and the role that production centres such as BilbaoArte play in achieving this objective.
“Thanks to the contributions from Bilbao City Council, the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Ministry of Culture and the BBK Foundation, we can bring to fruition the present and future of the various projects involving grants, artist exchanges with international institutions, residencies and support for creative work developed by the BilbaoArte Fundazioa Foundation. This combination of resources places us at the forefront of the European art scene and has cemented our position as a leading centre for contemporary creation for the past 27 years,” explained Helena López Camacho.
OPEN DAYS AT URAZURRUTIA, 32
The Open Days organised annually by BilbaoArte began last Monday, 22nd, and will conclude today, 24 June. Over the past few days, visitors have been able to discuss their impressions of the works with the artists and receive feedback from them. These works constitute a representative sample of the latest trends, approaches and working processes in contemporary art.
According to the deputy director of BilbaoArte, “the Open Days have become a key event in Bilbao’s cultural calendar; in fact, every year they attract a large number of local residents from the neighbourhood and from across Bilbao, as well as members of the artistic community. It is a real treat to be able to experience art in such an intimate way”.
This initiative takes the form of a day of celebration and presentation of the projects carried out by the artist-in-residence and recipients of production grants during their residency at BilbaoArte. After ten months of intense work, the artists transform their studios and workspaces into exhibition venues, opening up opportunities for dialogue and interaction with anyone interested in their practice.
This public presentation event also enables BilbaoArte to showcase the work that has taken place throughout the year: techniques, processes, and technical and personal resources that have resulted in tangible productions in the form of installations and works of art. It also highlights the experiences of the resident artists, as well as those who have used the facilities and/or taken part in the specialist courses and scheduled activities,
ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE EXHIBITION 2025–26
Alongside the opening of the studios, BilbaoArte brings the academic year to a close with an exhibition at the URIBITARTE40 gallery, open until 6 September, which brings together works by the most recent artists-in-residence.
This project features works produced by the dozen artists who have benefited from the Production Grant in 2025–2026. In total, around thirty works will be on display, which will become part of the BA Collection, bringing the total to 640 pieces to date.
Throughout the summer, the gallery will offer several guided tours in Basque (8 July and 5 August) and Spanish (22 July and 2 September), with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish Sign Language (LSE) for the general public.
BILBAOARTE ANNUAL REPORT 2025–2026
The programme developed by BilbaoArte during the 2025–2026 period consolidates the centre’s position as one of the leading venues for the production, research, training and dissemination of contemporary art at both local and international levels. The combination of residency programmes, support for artistic creation, exhibitions, public activities, publications and the management of the BA Collection has enabled the centre to organise an intense and diverse programme of activities reaching hundreds of artists, thousands of visitors and a broad community of audiences, thereby reinforcing BilbaoArte’s role as a strategic cultural infrastructure for the city.
The results achieved during this period reflect BilbaoArte’s consolidation as a comprehensive centre for contemporary creation, capable of combining direct support for artists, knowledge production, heritage conservation, public programming and cultural outreach.
The scale of the activities carried out highlights the centre’s capacity to generate cultural, social and artistic value for Bilbao and for the contemporary cultural ecosystem as a whole. Over the past academic year, BilbaoArte as a whole (the Urazurrutia site, URIBITARTE40 and Otxarkoaga Open Gela) has hosted 111 public events, more than 6 exhibitions, attracting over 6,000 attendees and visitors across public programmes and exhibitions, a constantly growing collection – with 24 new works added this year – and a robust publishing programme, including the publication of exhibition catalogues and the annual report, as well as the restoration and conservation of the collection, amongst other activities.
ARTISTS’ COMMUNITY
Furthermore, the arts production centre has worked with a total of 381 artists through its various initiatives, including residency programmes, production grants, exhibitions, workshops, courses and outreach activities. The residency programme has hosted 20 artists, including residents, guests and beneficiaries of mobility programmes, establishing a space for artistic research and production that fosters the exchange of knowledge and the creation of new projects.
At the same time, the artistic production workshops have seen high usage by the artistic community, with 156 registered users and 4,534 days of work spent in the various workshops and using the facilities. Particularly noteworthy are the Digital Imaging (1,178 artists), Printmaking (1,285), Sculpture (1,015) and MediaLab (939) workshops, which account for a large proportion of the technical and experimental activity carried out at the centre.
Next come the venues at Otxarkoaga Open Gela (12 artists and projects) and the URIBITARTE40 Gallery (85 artists involved). These figures reflect the importance of BilbaoArte as a public infrastructure supporting contemporary artistic production, providing specialised resources that are difficult to find elsewhere.
The exhibition programme at URIBITARTE40 and the public programmes organised at BilbaoArte’s various venues have also enabled 85 artists to take part in 6 exhibitions, and 138 artists in 15 specialised courses, presentations and public projects (639 people taking part in 15 events such as performances, presentations, meetings, etc.), significantly broadening the scope of the artistic activity promoted by the centre.
PREVIEW OF THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR
Support for artists’ creative output and professional development remains one of the centre’s priorities. To mark its Open Day, BilbaoArte announces the 11 artists selected for the 2026–2027 academic year: Karlos M. Bordoy, Jon Ibala, Estanis Comella, Izar Ocariz, Javier Ozcoidi, Víctor Rico, Javier Lozano, Celia Viada, Alazne Zubizarreta (General Programme), Itxaso Fernández (EHU Programme) and Ismael Iglesias (Silver Programme).
Of the 11 artists in residence this academic year, five will hold solo exhibitions in Bilbao, Pamplona and Salamanca, thanks to agreements reached with cultural institutions in those cities.
The names of the three artists-in-residence for 2025–2026 who will hold solo exhibitions at the URIBITARTE40 Gallery during the coming academic year have also been announced: Juana García-Pozuelo, Fátima Conesa and Antoine Nessi.
Amaya Suberbiola, meanwhile, has been selected by the Culture Department of Pamplona City Council to stage a solo exhibition at the Ciudadela. Furthermore, details of who will be exhibiting at the DA2 Museum of Contemporary Art in Salamanca will be announced during 2026.
