Ignacio URIARTE

The modern urban work environment and the rhythm of daily repetitive routine is not only a creative source for Ignacio Uriarte, but also the subject of his long-term studies and methodology of his artistic practice. He takes everyday office objects and repetitive routine to which we are all accustomed and transforms them into works of art. Crumpled or folded A4 paper, standard four-color markers, and the scribbles jotted down from phone conversations became the leitmotif of his work. These transformed behaviors are formally minimalistic and the process of the transformation involves several issues which conceptual art has long grappled with, such as dematerialization, the boundaries of daily life and art, and the artist’s self-identity. This perennial creative focus on the same motifs, which is closely linked with Uriarte’s early experience doing administrative office work at large corporations. At the same time, using a strict logical approach, the artist takes the tiny details, messy elements, and repetitive processes of the working environment to create a foundation connected to profound spiritual experiences of individuals. In other words, Uriarte’s works highlight how aesthetic tension is precisely reflected within dull mechanical and mathematical structures and the venting of obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Ignacio Uriarte (b. 1972, Krefeld, Germany) studied Business Administration in Madrid and Manheim from 1992 to 1995. From 1999 to 2001, he was majored in Audiovisuals at Centro de Artes Audiovisuales in Guadalajara, México. Recent exhibitions include Campos de texto, Nogueras Blanchard, Madrid, Spain (2021); Raumteilungen, Philipp von Rosen Galerie, Cologne, Germany (2020); Secuencias, Sala Polvorín, La Ciudadela, Pamplona, Spain (2020); Verwaltungstakte, Kunstmuseum Reutlingen, Reutlingen, Germany (2019); X, Y, Z, Museo ABC, Madrid, Spain (2018); Art and Alphabet, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany (2017); RealTIME—The Art of Slowness, Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany (2016); Acht Stunden zählen, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, Germany (2015); Unos y Ceros, Museo de Arte Contemporanea de Vigo, Spain (2014); Binaries, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Salt Lake City, USA (2013); Line of Work, The Drawing Center, New York City, USA (2013). Since 2007, Uriarte lives and works in Berlin.