Miguel Balliache

ARTIST

Egia, the San Sebastián neighborhood that has been in full swing since the Tabakalera Center for Contemporary Culture opened its doors here, started the year with good news in the cultural sphere, as a new gallery has just opened up in the neighborhood. Baptized with the name ‘Balliache Art Studio,’ this space is not a typical exhibition hall, as it is dedicated to showcasing the work of one single artist: Miguel Balliache, a Basque-venezuelan creator who lives in San Sebastián and has had a fabulous career.

The new gallery is divided into two distinct areas: the exhibition space and the workshop where Balliache creates his masterpieces.that second space is where his famous‘mochitos’ are conceptualized (terracotta sculptures representing a human figure), as well as his paintings (halfway between abstraction and figuration), clay busts, and animal figures.

Having your own gallery where you can show off your work permanently is a real luxury for a painter, but it is an even greater luxury for the public who have the opportunity to meet the artist in person, visit the place where he works, and discover his creative process.

Balliache is an established and recognized artist in San Sebastián who has had the opportunity to present his work in numerous spaces in the city: in 2004 at the Drum Gallery, in 2005 at K5, in 2006 and 2018 at the Ekain Gallery, in 2017 at Tabakalera, and in 2020 he was the guest artist of BASQUE LUXURY STUDIO.THAT last exhibition, which was open to the public throughout the past year, included three mediumand large-sized oil paintings on canvas, a ‘Mochito’ –the first one he created in terracotta after years of working with them exclusively on paper–, a black clay sculpture entitled ‘Cabeza Hombre’ (‘Head of Man’), and a spectacular 342 x 193 cm three-part piece entitled ‘El Beso’ (‘The Kiss’).

In addition to San Sebastián, many other cities in the world have opened their doors to him, and he has exhibited in Caracas, Bilbao, Dublin, and Miami, among others. While he has sold works to collectors around the world –from Venezuela to Australia–, his most important collectors are American. Europe is also an important market for him: one of his most significant paintings, a large figurative painting entitled ‘Vista de Caracas’ (‘View of Caracas’), has just been acquired by a private party from Reims.

From now on, we will no longer have to wait for new Balliache shows to open in order to discover his latest creations since we can see them –and buy them– directly at ‘Balliache Art Studio:’ an essential visit for collectors and lovers of culture.