Discover the contemporary work of Ariel Elizondo
A father from Bilbao and a mother from Navarre. I was born à Brussels (Belgium), where I studied the Fine Arts, thanks to the influence of my mother, who is a painter.
When I was young, we moved to another place. in Navarre, and it is there that I created my family business dedicated to natural stone, creating a close relationship and knowledge of it, thanks to travel in domestic and foreign careers and abroad. a strong relationship with architecture with which I am strongly inspired by creating these rectangular, square, parallel lines and shapes. Currently, my family continues to be linked to the world of natural stone and architecture, with the realization of major projects, with internationally renowned architects, such as Jean Nouvel, Frank Ghery, David Chiperfield, Calatrava, Moneo, Bofill, etc. ...
I currently live in horse between San Sebastian (Guipuzcoa) and Saint Jean de Luz (France).
My specialty as an artist is mainly focused on sculpture in natural stone and corten steel or painted steel.
Wanting to develop my creativity à through stone and steel, comes from my paternal origins, from time spent in à Bilbao and my childhood stays in the region with the stone, because of this intimate relationship with it.
During my visits and walks in my quarries, I observe and contemplate the petrographic formations, their composition, their colors, their textures, their shapes..., it is there ; the encounter with matter begins..., I open a dialogue with it, I touch it and caress it..., it transmits its energy to me and I transmit mine to it..., I ask permission (from the universe) to take it with me, .... it is there let the process of inspiration begin...…
To sculpt, I go down to; Tafalla (Navarra), in my mother's village, and there, in my open-air field, when the weather allows me, I create and realize my dreams and ideas. I bend in the cold, with the sole strength of the energy of my arms and my thoughts. The passage of time is imprinted in the stone..., mother earth; iron, also of mineral origin, expresses movement, human movement..., the exact moment in the passage of time..., and it is to do with it. through its curvatures that I express our most loving moments..., rapid,..., tragic or repetitive... tragic or repetitive... and life goes on.. . because the steel continues on its way... ....
It was then that I took the sculptures to my workshop in Bera de Bidasoa (Navarra), where they were created. I carry out the assembly and finishing.
At the moment, the University from Navarre, is in the process of making an artist's book for me, on my personal and artistic trajectory, which will be published by in several languages.
I define my art as a continuation of the school of the great Basque sculptor Chillida, art which is imprinted on in our internal codes, in our relationship with mineral and industrial materials.
My aim is to be able to internationalize Basque art through across Europe and the world, with beautiful artistic projects in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Being able to exhibit my sculptures in Belgium, for me, is to return my gaze to my roots and my origins, to rediscover my first cycle of childhood and youth at home. through art.
