Amaia Urra

Amaia Urra (Donostia-San Sebastián, 1974) is an artist. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts in 1998 from U.P.V., specializing in Sculpture, and furthered her education at Mugatxoan (Arteleku). Between 1999 and 2009, she worked and collaborated with various choreographers, including Jérôme Bel, Xavier Le Roy, Ion Munduate, María and Cuqui Jerez, and Cristina Blanco, among others. In 2017, she co-directed the Alkolea Beach space. Since 2010, she has lived and worked in Donostia-San Sebastián. Her works have been showcased in numerous venues, gatherings, and festivals such as Art nomade (Quebec), Axeneo7 & SAW Gallery (Gatineau-Ottawa), Les Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers (Paris), Halfhouse (Barcelona), Festival Domingo, F. In-presentable, La Casa Encendida (Madrid), the Guggenheim (Bilbao) as part of the June Crespo exhibition Vascular, Bulegoa z/b (Bilbao), the program of activities at the Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid), Zarata Fest (Bilbao), Picnic Sessions at CA2M (Móstoles), Héctor Escandón (Mexico City), and CENDEAC (Murcia). She has also participated in group exhibitions, including the 45th National Salon of Artists in Bogotá, El sauce ve de cabeza la imagen de la garza at TEA (Tenerife), komunikazio-inkomunikazio at Tabakalera (San Sebastián), Pastora Foley II at Artiax (Bilbao), and Lazos Mecánicos at Artium Museoa (Vitoria), among others.

Amaia Urra’s work revolves around the nuances and shifts in language, whether spoken or sung, uttered or read. Her practice manifests through live performances, walks, sound recordings, or graphic presentations, and is characterized by a deliberately light and elusive quality.

In much of her work, she explores the power of language to shape reality, delving into the margins of experience, such as unproductive temporalities or obsolete words. Her exploration includes reading, writing, repetition, creating lists, and comparing various official definitions found in dictionaries, encyclopedias, or botanical manuals. This journey intertwines writing, reading, and action with singing, walking, and other meanderings, presenting situations that poetically reveal what often goes unseen, unheard, or overlooked.

© Charlène Yves