Sculptors

Lezama Perier, Patxi Xabier

Patxi Xabier Lezama Perier (June 20, 1967, Zalla , Bizkaia) is a Basque sculptor and writer.

One of the representative artists of the Basque scene. Creator who is part of the generation of contemporary Basque sculptors considered one of the main innovators of Basque sculpture in the second half of the 20th century. Vitally representative of the symbolic and the mythological. The awareness of the importance of Basque culture (its origin, its history and its traditions), as well as the process of modernizing folklore by the avant-garde to provide a new look at ancestral issues.

The artist's work focuses mainly on Basque mythological sculpture. Although he is known for his work in sculpture, he has stood out in the Basque cultural arena thanks to his different talents as an artist, sculptor, writer and designer. Just like the old masters of the best known current of Basque art such as: Jorge Oteiza, Eduardo Chillida, Agust n Ibarrola and N stor Basterretxea. Surrealism differentiates him from those marked by abstraction and geometric tism.

Around 1990, with his employment in the forge, he began working with iron. He then began a cycle of non-imitative sculptures, increasing his concern for Basque art and culture.

Each of his works poses a spatial problem that he tries to solve with the help of the material, according to its characteristics or properties. Amalur (2002) is his first abstract sculpture, a name of Basque origin which in Basque means "Mother Earth" and is inspired by the mythology of the Basque people. He flees from the imitation of nature and goes in search of creation and invention.

In 2005 he opened a new stage of experimentation. Until then, his language was dominated by curved lines and now adopt more lively and restless surreal rhythms, easy to understand sculpted in wood.

The scale in Totemism had been approached at the end of the 80s with his plastic experience in wood, a material that due to its lower weight facilitated the increase in size and due to its soft texture and low ductility opened up a new experience in his ethnic-cultural plastic inquiry. At the same time, he developed an important activity in the field of literature. During the 1990s, he investigated the Basque language and the popular manifestations of his town. In 2016 he published "Mythology of the Basque Country". Book of interpretation of Basque mythology, being up to now its best known text. This book makes a defense of Basque popular culture and its identity. In 2020 he alternates and addresses graphic design with a series of illustrations that narrate and recreate an illustrated book in which he unites Japanese culture and Basque art.

He has exhibited his work in national and international exhibitions, placing him as an important reference within the world of Basque mythology. Among some of the numerous exhibitions where his work has been exhibited is New York organized by the Spanish Benevolent Society Gallery

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