Joseba Sánchez Zabaleta

Joseba Sánchez Zabaleta’s work is reflective and poetic. However, it stands out for its great visual power. He portrays abandoned or ruined spaces, which could be the remains of a city devastated by war, a dystopian space, or the result of an apocalyptic event. These are uninhabited spaces but nevertheless full of humanity; populated by the remains of the passage of human beings, in which it is sometimes difficult to discern how long ago they were abandoned. “The paradigm of civilization has become a dystopia”, in the words of the writer Pilar Ruiz.

Sometimes he focuses his interest on specific objects that he portrays in suggestive still lifes. These humble, everyday objects seem to have been frozen in time. They are objects that have obviously been used, and are therefore loaded with meaning. They often appear in ruined spaces where he creates small oases of humanity in a sterile environment. He usually bathes his scenes with a dim and filtered light, in which greys and soft shadows predominate.

Joseba Sánchez Zabaleta has been exhibiting at Sala Parés since 2016, but he has also exhibited in numerous galleries around Spain, especially in cities such as Madrid and Segovia, as well as Amsterdam and Toulouse among others. His work has been recognized with multiple awards.