artist and social anthropologist, focusing on nexus of art, politics and identity. Field research in the Basque Country, American West, Israel and Palestine.
Arteak eta euskal diaspora Les arts et la diaspora basque XIX e -XXI e siècle Les arts et la diaspora basque XIX e -XXI e siècle, 2018
This article, written in French, is an ethnographic reflection on my experience of painting the p... more This article, written in French, is an ethnographic reflection on my experience of painting the portraits of members of the Basque diaspora over the course of the past decade.
In areas of conflict, the production of art may take on unpredictable political agencies. This ar... more In areas of conflict, the production of art may take on unpredictable political agencies. This article discusses from an anthropological perspective the challenges to the development of artist-run residencies in East Jerusalem, an urban area at the heart of ethnic, religious and nationalist tensions. The article recounts the exploration phase of an initiative by an independent artist to assess the potentials of Urban Artist-Run-Residencies (UARRs) in East Jerusalem.
The artist and researcher Anat Litwin coined the term 'urban artist-run residencies' (UARRs) to i... more The artist and researcher Anat Litwin coined the term 'urban artist-run residencies' (UARRs) to introduce a new form of public art that benefits both artists and the local community for its specific social and collaborative qualities. Through an ethnographic account, I examine the possibility of developing UARRs in East Jerusalem, an urban area characterized by nationalist, ethnic and religious clashes. The paper points out from an anthropologist perspective how, in areas of conflict, where things become acutely political, it is crucial to a engage in a critical approach to what role art and artists may assume in a given social, cultural and political context.
This article introduces the art of naturalist–realist portrait painting as a method and medium of... more This article introduces the art of naturalist–realist portrait painting as a method and medium of visual anthropology. It makes the case for this art form as an integral part of both ethnography and anthropology. Like ethnography, naturalist–realist portrait painting seeks to apprehend the world in a way that goes beyond superficial observation. Both disciplines have in common an empathetic and sensitive process of long-term observation and contextual interaction—a process in which the artist–anthropologist must navigate the tension between objectivity and subjec- tivity. The article introduces the various techniques used by naturalist–realist painters, including the sight-size method, arguing that these techniques often parallel those of ethnography and have the potential to add further value not only to the ethnographic research process but also to analysis. In particular, since ethnography is today considered a collaborative process, the close interaction between painter and model in naturalist–realist portrait painting can be considered as a means by which anthropologists can create “thick descriptions.” [art, collaboration, intersubjectivity, naturalism–realism, portrait painting, thick description]
This article contributes to today’s discussions on the collaboration between art and anthropology... more This article contributes to today’s discussions on the collaboration between art and anthropology and the necessity for ethnographers working with art to expound on their methodological process. The article discusses the application of contemporary ethnographic practice on portrait-painting in the specific institutional setting of New York City’s American Natural History Museum (AMNH), as a way to reflect on the norms and politics of representational forms and relations between the ethnographer, the ‘informant’ and the public. It reflects specifically on a curatorial experiment in which I took part, invited by the collective Ethnographic Terminalia at the AMNH, within the framework of the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival. The experiment involved installing a pop-up painting studio in the main hall of AMNH where I, as both a social anthropologist and a realist artist, would paint the portraits of two anthropologists over the course of three days. The experiment was to publicly expose the process of depicting a live human-being on canvas and examine what it might involve in terms of doing visual ethnography. The location of the AMNH for this experiment is significant because of its historical status as an authoritative place for displaying human cultures and their natural environment since the late 19th century. This article talks about the experiment in light of current discussions in anthropology on the transformation of the discipline as a co-production of knowledge utilizing multimodal approaches.
I draw on my experience of painting portraits to reflect on the Basque diaspora today. Whilst liv... more I draw on my experience of painting portraits to reflect on the Basque diaspora today. Whilst living in different countries, I have painted Basque individuals that I have met through Basque organizations, through common friends in the Basque Country, or through “non-Basque” people who introduce us presuming that as fellow Basques we have something in common. We are thus brought together through the networks that typically define a diaspora. At the same time, Basque identity in the diaspora, as I have come to understand - and paint - it, is a personal and contextual experience. In this article, I offer further - textual - information about the individuals I originally intended to just portray in paint, as part of the effort to render more richly today’s plural picture of the Basque diaspora.
My skills as a portrait painter provide me with a helpful ethnographic way of getting to know my ... more My skills as a portrait painter provide me with a helpful ethnographic way of getting to know my " informants " during fieldwork. I invite people to pose for a portrait for several hours over many days in a one-on-one setting. The sessions provide an extraordinary opportunity for us to hang out together during regular periods of time away from the usual bustle of life. Working together, the model posing and I painting, each observing the other, we talk freely as well as learn to feel comfortable in each other's silence. In general, I have found that individuals open up much more to me in portrait painting sessions than in other usual ethnographic encounters. It then occurred to me that portrait painting has another use and value; it offers an opportunity to reflect on the anthropological process of interpreting and representing the " other, " and a way of including the " other " actively and openly in this process. By posing and being present, the " informant "-models are participators and collaborators in the production of the portrait. They witness my process of representing them on canvas and comment on it, contributing their own ideas. They also observe how I perceive them and how I translate that perception on the canvas. The experience of portrait painting invites reflection on how interpretation and representation can be dialogic and intersubjective; portrait painting is a two-way process, where the subjectivity of the person doing the interpreting and representing interacts with the subjectivity of the person being represented. Portrait painting has made me further reflect on how, with time and regular interaction, my growing understanding and knowledge of the other person manifest themselves in the way I paint. The final picture represents not only the person being painted but also me, and all the emotions and moods we experienced together during the process.
Proceedings of TRAC 2012, The Representational Art Conference, 2013
In this paper, I explore the parallels between naturalist painting and ethnography. I argue that ... more In this paper, I explore the parallels between naturalist painting and ethnography. I argue that at a meta, epistemological level, both activities have in common a concern with how to apprehend the objective world by means of an emphatic and sensitive process of long--term observation and contextual interaction. Both involve a process in which representation and the tension between objectivity and subjectivity are central issues. I suggest that various techniques in naturalist painting, such as the use of the mirror, squinting, distance, and choice of focus, parallel ethnography's methods of research that include full cultural immersion, participant--observation, open--ended interviews and self--reflective selection and interpretation. By discussing the common epistemological and methodological concerns of these two activities, I hope that each can shed further light on the other.
This article looks at the politics of public art in the Spanish Basque region of Euskadi, and foc... more This article looks at the politics of public art in the Spanish Basque region of Euskadi, and focuses on the ongoing debates about sculptures commemorating ‘victims of terrorism’. Should they be exclusively dedicated to the victims of E.T.A., the Basque left-wing separatist group, which, since the end of the Franco regime, turned into what many consider a “terrorist” organization? Or should such sculptures also honor the suffering of those who have experienced violence at the hands of the Spanish state? Opposing political factions in Euskadi contest these questions. I analyze the impact of this contestation in Euskadi on the type of public commemorative sculpture created and on the public interaction with it. The article explores the role that politics play in the appreciation of such artwork, as well as the impact that politics has on the artist. Based upon ongoing ethnographic research in the region, this work contributes to our understanding of the importance of public art as a form and function of identity politics.
n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal, Jul 2014
Ana Laura Aláez and Azucena Vieites are artists from the Basque region of Euskadi, in Spain, born... more Ana Laura Aláez and Azucena Vieites are artists from the Basque region of Euskadi, in Spain, born within a few years of each other in the mid 1960s. Both are from working class families. Their parents had emigrated from other parts of Spain to find work in the industrial townships that had boomed during the 20th century in the formerly largely rural territory of Euskadi. Ana Laura grew up in the city of Bilbao, the heartland of the steel industry that was still going strong at the time, while Azucena came from the smaller town of Hernani, where more factories had sprouted, close to the picturesque seaside resort of San Sebastian.
Aláez and Vieites came of age during a turbulent period for Euskadi. During the 1980s, Spain was making its first steps as a democratic state, after more than 30 years of military dictatorship under General Francisco Franco. Euskadi was granted regional autonomy, but political grievances remained: ETA, the violent left-wing Basque nationalist group, was pursuing its struggle for Basque independence, in a clash with Spanish authorities that brought destruction and bloodshed. At the same time, both Spain and Euskadi were undergoing social and cultural change, epitomized in what came to be known in Spanish as la Movida, an atmosphere of social, sexual and cultural experimentation and liberation. In such a conflictive yet exciting time, the challenge for inquisitive female artists was to find their own space of freedom and self-expression.
Despite their similar backgrounds, Aláez and Vieites have emerged as artists in very different ways. While both developed a feminist consciousness, they have done so following different personal experiences and aspirations that have had their impact on the focus and processes of their art. Aláez transforms her life experience and emotions into a variety of artistic forms, often with herself as protagonist, involving video, sound, photography, installation and multi-media sculpture. Vieites takes an explicitly feminist and conceptual approach to visual culture, predominantly through drawing and screen-printing. She is the co-founder of the Basque feminist artist group Erreakzioa-Reacción, together with Estibaliz Sádaba.
Today, both Aláez and Vieites are established as key figures in the contemporary art scene of the Basque Country and Spain, and increasingly also internationally. Based in Bilbao, where she was born in 1964, Aláez is currently represented by the galleries Moisés Pérez de Albéniz in Madrid and Leila Heller in New York City. Recent international solo shows include Goodbye Horses at the National Museum of Oslo, Sound Recording Room at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin, and Beauty Cabinet Prototype at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. In 2007, she was featured in the exhibition Unknowns at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao as one of the notable artists to define the art scene in the Basque Country. In 2013, she received the prestigious Basque art prize Gure Artea. As for Vieites, recent solo exhibitions include “Fundido Encadenado” at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla y Leon (MUSAC) in 2012, and “Tableau Vivant” at the National Museum Art Center Reina Sofia in Madrid, 2013. Born near San Sebastian, in 1967, she is currently based in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, and also teaches in the faculties of fine art of the universities of Cuenca and Salamanca.
This article looks at Haize Berri, a cultural association active in the rural French Basque Count... more This article looks at Haize Berri, a cultural association active in the rural French Basque Country from the 1980s to 2009, to reflect on the different understandings of art and culture and their political implications in the particular context of the Basque Country. Haize Berri, which in the Basque language means ‘New Wind’, a name chosen to evoke the coming of a new era, had the ambition of bringing cultural life to the rural inland of the French Basque Country. With the participation of public figures from the Basque art world, Haize Berri was at the heart of a cultural renaissance in the region. But locally, it was a source of political controversy. While the mission of Haize Berri was not publicly stated as political, many of those behind it saw culture as part of politics, and, in the context of its actions, Haize Berri was taken to be political. This article uses Haize Berri as a lens through which to explore the politics of culture and art as an element in collective identity boundary-drawing.
How can an anthropological perspective help us to tackle the question of sustainable innovation i... more How can an anthropological perspective help us to tackle the question of sustainable innovation in business management? Reviewing the nature of anthropological investigation, and some of the anthropological research carried out in the work environment, this paper notes the importance of appreciating the various dimensions of social interaction. This also involves reflecting on the concept of innovation as socially constructed.
Creative Processes in Art, September 12-13 2013, Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon., 2014
This paper reflects on the inter-related creative and ethnographic dimensions of my work as a nat... more This paper reflects on the inter-related creative and ethnographic dimensions of my work as a naturalist-realist painter. Naturalist-realist painting, like many art forms, is driven by artistic and aesthetic impulses, but also by methodological rigor. I argue that this rigor is very similar to that of ethnographers, and that this forms an essential part of the creative process. In addition to being a painter, I am a social anthropologist, and ethnography is key to my approach to research. In this paper, I reflect on how thinking ethnographically whilst painting contributes to the creative process and to the final artistic production. I see my naturalist-realist painting as a ‘thick description’, a term coined by the anthropologist Clifford Geertz to define the attempt to interpret human behavior in a way intelligible and meaningful outside its social and cultural context, that aims to be both aesthetically, visually and tangibly powerful. As I paint the portrait of a person, a unique relationship is created between the two of us. The final painting is not just a visual representation of the person but also conveys, through the hues and texture of paint layered over time, the emotions of both the painter and the person, as well as the relationship developed between the two over the course of the sittings.
We explore how corporate social responsibility may serve to mitigate the confl ict between the ut... more We explore how corporate social responsibility may serve to mitigate the confl ict between the utopia that many people—particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds in emerging markets states—associate with globalization and, on the other hand, the detrimental effect this globalization often actually has both on the quality of life of people and on the environment. Empirical data is drawn from field research on firm and local community relations in South Africa and China. We consider the extent to which corporate social responsibility may be a means to move beyond both utopian hopes and the dystopian reality of globalization. http://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/nature-and-culture/11/3/nature-and-culture.11.issue-3.xml
"Basque Nationalism at a Political Crossroads
By Zoe Bray | 09 May 2012
Political conflict in t... more "Basque Nationalism at a Political Crossroads
By Zoe Bray | 09 May 2012
Political conflict in the Basque Country has entered a new phase. In the past year, a reshuffling of political power in Spain has brought left-wing Basque nationalists to office in some major Basque cities and at the provincial level in Gipuzkoa, while ensconcing their ideological opponents, the conservative Popular Party (PP), in government at the national level in Madrid. Meanwhile, the announcement by the separatist extremist organization ETA in October that it was laying down its arms has raised hopes for an end to decades of secessionist violence.
But tough challenges have yet to be resolved. As long as opposing factions remain entrenched in past antagonisms, the Basque Country will remain stuck at a crossroads. The main political parties must come to grips with thorny outstanding issues and reach a settlement, or else continue a standoff with all the attendant risks of institutional paralysis, social and economic stagnation and, at worst, a possible return to the terrorism that has poisoned life for inhabitants of the region and other parts of Spain and France for more than 50 years."
This article is concerned with ‘the ethnonational identity’ of young Basque militants in Iparrald... more This article is concerned with ‘the ethnonational identity’ of young Basque militants in Iparralde, the northern, or French, part of the Basque Country. Against the broader background of European integration, we identify the elements used by young Basque militants in Iparralde in constructing and expressing their ethnonational identity, and the reasons for their choices. References is made to the differences with the southern, or Spanish, part of the Basque Country, Hegoalde. In the context of the French state’s refusal to recognize its regional language, transmission of the Basque language is often characterised by references to ethnonationalist values. We observe however that these values have shifted of late – from an emphasis on the creation of a Basque nation, to more practical and urgent concerns with grassroots and sustainable development in the field of the economy, the environment and the Basque language.
Many minority nationalist movements in Europe are abandoning the search for independent statehood... more Many minority nationalist movements in Europe are abandoning the search for independent statehood, embracing European integration, and adopting a ‘post-sovereigntist’ stance, stressing shared sovereignty and divided powers. This provides a promising way of escaping the classical difficulty of aligning nations with states. Basque nationalism has evolved in this direction, drawing on earlier traditions. The Ibarretxe Plan, approved by the Basque parliament in 2004 but subsequently rejected by Spain’s national parliament, was presented as an effort to formulate such a third way between separatism and unionism. Yet ironically its effect was in large part to reaffirm actors’ language of traditional sovereignty. This is partly due to the political context, but also to the power of doctrinal, ideological and symbolic issues related to sovereignty, the nation and boundaries. National self-determination may have entered a new phase but it still faces great difficulties in principle as well as in practice.
Cet article est une analyse anthropologique du comportement et de l'expression identitaire de jeu... more Cet article est une analyse anthropologique du comportement et de l'expression identitaire de jeunes dans le contexte des fetes de la zone transfrontaliere de Txingudi, au Pays basque.
Arteak eta euskal diaspora Les arts et la diaspora basque XIX e -XXI e siècle Les arts et la diaspora basque XIX e -XXI e siècle, 2018
This article, written in French, is an ethnographic reflection on my experience of painting the p... more This article, written in French, is an ethnographic reflection on my experience of painting the portraits of members of the Basque diaspora over the course of the past decade.
In areas of conflict, the production of art may take on unpredictable political agencies. This ar... more In areas of conflict, the production of art may take on unpredictable political agencies. This article discusses from an anthropological perspective the challenges to the development of artist-run residencies in East Jerusalem, an urban area at the heart of ethnic, religious and nationalist tensions. The article recounts the exploration phase of an initiative by an independent artist to assess the potentials of Urban Artist-Run-Residencies (UARRs) in East Jerusalem.
The artist and researcher Anat Litwin coined the term 'urban artist-run residencies' (UARRs) to i... more The artist and researcher Anat Litwin coined the term 'urban artist-run residencies' (UARRs) to introduce a new form of public art that benefits both artists and the local community for its specific social and collaborative qualities. Through an ethnographic account, I examine the possibility of developing UARRs in East Jerusalem, an urban area characterized by nationalist, ethnic and religious clashes. The paper points out from an anthropologist perspective how, in areas of conflict, where things become acutely political, it is crucial to a engage in a critical approach to what role art and artists may assume in a given social, cultural and political context.
This article introduces the art of naturalist–realist portrait painting as a method and medium of... more This article introduces the art of naturalist–realist portrait painting as a method and medium of visual anthropology. It makes the case for this art form as an integral part of both ethnography and anthropology. Like ethnography, naturalist–realist portrait painting seeks to apprehend the world in a way that goes beyond superficial observation. Both disciplines have in common an empathetic and sensitive process of long-term observation and contextual interaction—a process in which the artist–anthropologist must navigate the tension between objectivity and subjec- tivity. The article introduces the various techniques used by naturalist–realist painters, including the sight-size method, arguing that these techniques often parallel those of ethnography and have the potential to add further value not only to the ethnographic research process but also to analysis. In particular, since ethnography is today considered a collaborative process, the close interaction between painter and model in naturalist–realist portrait painting can be considered as a means by which anthropologists can create “thick descriptions.” [art, collaboration, intersubjectivity, naturalism–realism, portrait painting, thick description]
This article contributes to today’s discussions on the collaboration between art and anthropology... more This article contributes to today’s discussions on the collaboration between art and anthropology and the necessity for ethnographers working with art to expound on their methodological process. The article discusses the application of contemporary ethnographic practice on portrait-painting in the specific institutional setting of New York City’s American Natural History Museum (AMNH), as a way to reflect on the norms and politics of representational forms and relations between the ethnographer, the ‘informant’ and the public. It reflects specifically on a curatorial experiment in which I took part, invited by the collective Ethnographic Terminalia at the AMNH, within the framework of the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival. The experiment involved installing a pop-up painting studio in the main hall of AMNH where I, as both a social anthropologist and a realist artist, would paint the portraits of two anthropologists over the course of three days. The experiment was to publicly expose the process of depicting a live human-being on canvas and examine what it might involve in terms of doing visual ethnography. The location of the AMNH for this experiment is significant because of its historical status as an authoritative place for displaying human cultures and their natural environment since the late 19th century. This article talks about the experiment in light of current discussions in anthropology on the transformation of the discipline as a co-production of knowledge utilizing multimodal approaches.
I draw on my experience of painting portraits to reflect on the Basque diaspora today. Whilst liv... more I draw on my experience of painting portraits to reflect on the Basque diaspora today. Whilst living in different countries, I have painted Basque individuals that I have met through Basque organizations, through common friends in the Basque Country, or through “non-Basque” people who introduce us presuming that as fellow Basques we have something in common. We are thus brought together through the networks that typically define a diaspora. At the same time, Basque identity in the diaspora, as I have come to understand - and paint - it, is a personal and contextual experience. In this article, I offer further - textual - information about the individuals I originally intended to just portray in paint, as part of the effort to render more richly today’s plural picture of the Basque diaspora.
My skills as a portrait painter provide me with a helpful ethnographic way of getting to know my ... more My skills as a portrait painter provide me with a helpful ethnographic way of getting to know my " informants " during fieldwork. I invite people to pose for a portrait for several hours over many days in a one-on-one setting. The sessions provide an extraordinary opportunity for us to hang out together during regular periods of time away from the usual bustle of life. Working together, the model posing and I painting, each observing the other, we talk freely as well as learn to feel comfortable in each other's silence. In general, I have found that individuals open up much more to me in portrait painting sessions than in other usual ethnographic encounters. It then occurred to me that portrait painting has another use and value; it offers an opportunity to reflect on the anthropological process of interpreting and representing the " other, " and a way of including the " other " actively and openly in this process. By posing and being present, the " informant "-models are participators and collaborators in the production of the portrait. They witness my process of representing them on canvas and comment on it, contributing their own ideas. They also observe how I perceive them and how I translate that perception on the canvas. The experience of portrait painting invites reflection on how interpretation and representation can be dialogic and intersubjective; portrait painting is a two-way process, where the subjectivity of the person doing the interpreting and representing interacts with the subjectivity of the person being represented. Portrait painting has made me further reflect on how, with time and regular interaction, my growing understanding and knowledge of the other person manifest themselves in the way I paint. The final picture represents not only the person being painted but also me, and all the emotions and moods we experienced together during the process.
Proceedings of TRAC 2012, The Representational Art Conference, 2013
In this paper, I explore the parallels between naturalist painting and ethnography. I argue that ... more In this paper, I explore the parallels between naturalist painting and ethnography. I argue that at a meta, epistemological level, both activities have in common a concern with how to apprehend the objective world by means of an emphatic and sensitive process of long--term observation and contextual interaction. Both involve a process in which representation and the tension between objectivity and subjectivity are central issues. I suggest that various techniques in naturalist painting, such as the use of the mirror, squinting, distance, and choice of focus, parallel ethnography's methods of research that include full cultural immersion, participant--observation, open--ended interviews and self--reflective selection and interpretation. By discussing the common epistemological and methodological concerns of these two activities, I hope that each can shed further light on the other.
This article looks at the politics of public art in the Spanish Basque region of Euskadi, and foc... more This article looks at the politics of public art in the Spanish Basque region of Euskadi, and focuses on the ongoing debates about sculptures commemorating ‘victims of terrorism’. Should they be exclusively dedicated to the victims of E.T.A., the Basque left-wing separatist group, which, since the end of the Franco regime, turned into what many consider a “terrorist” organization? Or should such sculptures also honor the suffering of those who have experienced violence at the hands of the Spanish state? Opposing political factions in Euskadi contest these questions. I analyze the impact of this contestation in Euskadi on the type of public commemorative sculpture created and on the public interaction with it. The article explores the role that politics play in the appreciation of such artwork, as well as the impact that politics has on the artist. Based upon ongoing ethnographic research in the region, this work contributes to our understanding of the importance of public art as a form and function of identity politics.
n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal, Jul 2014
Ana Laura Aláez and Azucena Vieites are artists from the Basque region of Euskadi, in Spain, born... more Ana Laura Aláez and Azucena Vieites are artists from the Basque region of Euskadi, in Spain, born within a few years of each other in the mid 1960s. Both are from working class families. Their parents had emigrated from other parts of Spain to find work in the industrial townships that had boomed during the 20th century in the formerly largely rural territory of Euskadi. Ana Laura grew up in the city of Bilbao, the heartland of the steel industry that was still going strong at the time, while Azucena came from the smaller town of Hernani, where more factories had sprouted, close to the picturesque seaside resort of San Sebastian.
Aláez and Vieites came of age during a turbulent period for Euskadi. During the 1980s, Spain was making its first steps as a democratic state, after more than 30 years of military dictatorship under General Francisco Franco. Euskadi was granted regional autonomy, but political grievances remained: ETA, the violent left-wing Basque nationalist group, was pursuing its struggle for Basque independence, in a clash with Spanish authorities that brought destruction and bloodshed. At the same time, both Spain and Euskadi were undergoing social and cultural change, epitomized in what came to be known in Spanish as la Movida, an atmosphere of social, sexual and cultural experimentation and liberation. In such a conflictive yet exciting time, the challenge for inquisitive female artists was to find their own space of freedom and self-expression.
Despite their similar backgrounds, Aláez and Vieites have emerged as artists in very different ways. While both developed a feminist consciousness, they have done so following different personal experiences and aspirations that have had their impact on the focus and processes of their art. Aláez transforms her life experience and emotions into a variety of artistic forms, often with herself as protagonist, involving video, sound, photography, installation and multi-media sculpture. Vieites takes an explicitly feminist and conceptual approach to visual culture, predominantly through drawing and screen-printing. She is the co-founder of the Basque feminist artist group Erreakzioa-Reacción, together with Estibaliz Sádaba.
Today, both Aláez and Vieites are established as key figures in the contemporary art scene of the Basque Country and Spain, and increasingly also internationally. Based in Bilbao, where she was born in 1964, Aláez is currently represented by the galleries Moisés Pérez de Albéniz in Madrid and Leila Heller in New York City. Recent international solo shows include Goodbye Horses at the National Museum of Oslo, Sound Recording Room at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin, and Beauty Cabinet Prototype at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. In 2007, she was featured in the exhibition Unknowns at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao as one of the notable artists to define the art scene in the Basque Country. In 2013, she received the prestigious Basque art prize Gure Artea. As for Vieites, recent solo exhibitions include “Fundido Encadenado” at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla y Leon (MUSAC) in 2012, and “Tableau Vivant” at the National Museum Art Center Reina Sofia in Madrid, 2013. Born near San Sebastian, in 1967, she is currently based in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, and also teaches in the faculties of fine art of the universities of Cuenca and Salamanca.
This article looks at Haize Berri, a cultural association active in the rural French Basque Count... more This article looks at Haize Berri, a cultural association active in the rural French Basque Country from the 1980s to 2009, to reflect on the different understandings of art and culture and their political implications in the particular context of the Basque Country. Haize Berri, which in the Basque language means ‘New Wind’, a name chosen to evoke the coming of a new era, had the ambition of bringing cultural life to the rural inland of the French Basque Country. With the participation of public figures from the Basque art world, Haize Berri was at the heart of a cultural renaissance in the region. But locally, it was a source of political controversy. While the mission of Haize Berri was not publicly stated as political, many of those behind it saw culture as part of politics, and, in the context of its actions, Haize Berri was taken to be political. This article uses Haize Berri as a lens through which to explore the politics of culture and art as an element in collective identity boundary-drawing.
How can an anthropological perspective help us to tackle the question of sustainable innovation i... more How can an anthropological perspective help us to tackle the question of sustainable innovation in business management? Reviewing the nature of anthropological investigation, and some of the anthropological research carried out in the work environment, this paper notes the importance of appreciating the various dimensions of social interaction. This also involves reflecting on the concept of innovation as socially constructed.
Creative Processes in Art, September 12-13 2013, Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon., 2014
This paper reflects on the inter-related creative and ethnographic dimensions of my work as a nat... more This paper reflects on the inter-related creative and ethnographic dimensions of my work as a naturalist-realist painter. Naturalist-realist painting, like many art forms, is driven by artistic and aesthetic impulses, but also by methodological rigor. I argue that this rigor is very similar to that of ethnographers, and that this forms an essential part of the creative process. In addition to being a painter, I am a social anthropologist, and ethnography is key to my approach to research. In this paper, I reflect on how thinking ethnographically whilst painting contributes to the creative process and to the final artistic production. I see my naturalist-realist painting as a ‘thick description’, a term coined by the anthropologist Clifford Geertz to define the attempt to interpret human behavior in a way intelligible and meaningful outside its social and cultural context, that aims to be both aesthetically, visually and tangibly powerful. As I paint the portrait of a person, a unique relationship is created between the two of us. The final painting is not just a visual representation of the person but also conveys, through the hues and texture of paint layered over time, the emotions of both the painter and the person, as well as the relationship developed between the two over the course of the sittings.
We explore how corporate social responsibility may serve to mitigate the confl ict between the ut... more We explore how corporate social responsibility may serve to mitigate the confl ict between the utopia that many people—particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds in emerging markets states—associate with globalization and, on the other hand, the detrimental effect this globalization often actually has both on the quality of life of people and on the environment. Empirical data is drawn from field research on firm and local community relations in South Africa and China. We consider the extent to which corporate social responsibility may be a means to move beyond both utopian hopes and the dystopian reality of globalization. http://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/nature-and-culture/11/3/nature-and-culture.11.issue-3.xml
"Basque Nationalism at a Political Crossroads
By Zoe Bray | 09 May 2012
Political conflict in t... more "Basque Nationalism at a Political Crossroads
By Zoe Bray | 09 May 2012
Political conflict in the Basque Country has entered a new phase. In the past year, a reshuffling of political power in Spain has brought left-wing Basque nationalists to office in some major Basque cities and at the provincial level in Gipuzkoa, while ensconcing their ideological opponents, the conservative Popular Party (PP), in government at the national level in Madrid. Meanwhile, the announcement by the separatist extremist organization ETA in October that it was laying down its arms has raised hopes for an end to decades of secessionist violence.
But tough challenges have yet to be resolved. As long as opposing factions remain entrenched in past antagonisms, the Basque Country will remain stuck at a crossroads. The main political parties must come to grips with thorny outstanding issues and reach a settlement, or else continue a standoff with all the attendant risks of institutional paralysis, social and economic stagnation and, at worst, a possible return to the terrorism that has poisoned life for inhabitants of the region and other parts of Spain and France for more than 50 years."
This article is concerned with ‘the ethnonational identity’ of young Basque militants in Iparrald... more This article is concerned with ‘the ethnonational identity’ of young Basque militants in Iparralde, the northern, or French, part of the Basque Country. Against the broader background of European integration, we identify the elements used by young Basque militants in Iparralde in constructing and expressing their ethnonational identity, and the reasons for their choices. References is made to the differences with the southern, or Spanish, part of the Basque Country, Hegoalde. In the context of the French state’s refusal to recognize its regional language, transmission of the Basque language is often characterised by references to ethnonationalist values. We observe however that these values have shifted of late – from an emphasis on the creation of a Basque nation, to more practical and urgent concerns with grassroots and sustainable development in the field of the economy, the environment and the Basque language.
Many minority nationalist movements in Europe are abandoning the search for independent statehood... more Many minority nationalist movements in Europe are abandoning the search for independent statehood, embracing European integration, and adopting a ‘post-sovereigntist’ stance, stressing shared sovereignty and divided powers. This provides a promising way of escaping the classical difficulty of aligning nations with states. Basque nationalism has evolved in this direction, drawing on earlier traditions. The Ibarretxe Plan, approved by the Basque parliament in 2004 but subsequently rejected by Spain’s national parliament, was presented as an effort to formulate such a third way between separatism and unionism. Yet ironically its effect was in large part to reaffirm actors’ language of traditional sovereignty. This is partly due to the political context, but also to the power of doctrinal, ideological and symbolic issues related to sovereignty, the nation and boundaries. National self-determination may have entered a new phase but it still faces great difficulties in principle as well as in practice.
Cet article est une analyse anthropologique du comportement et de l'expression identitaire de jeu... more Cet article est une analyse anthropologique du comportement et de l'expression identitaire de jeunes dans le contexte des fetes de la zone transfrontaliere de Txingudi, au Pays basque.
Zoe Bray’s “Anthropology with a Paintbrush: Naturalist-Realist Painting as ‘Thick Description‘” (... more Zoe Bray’s “Anthropology with a Paintbrush: Naturalist-Realist Painting as ‘Thick Description‘” (VAR 31-2, Fall 2015) presents the practice of naturalist-realist portrait-painting as an under-explored method and medium of visual anthropology where slow-paced observations and interaction provide opportunities for making “thick descriptions” on canvas.
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Aláez and Vieites came of age during a turbulent period for Euskadi. During the 1980s, Spain was making its first steps as a democratic state, after more than 30 years of military dictatorship under General Francisco Franco. Euskadi was granted regional autonomy, but political grievances remained: ETA, the violent left-wing Basque nationalist group, was pursuing its struggle for Basque independence, in a clash with Spanish authorities that brought destruction and bloodshed. At the same time, both Spain and Euskadi were undergoing social and cultural change, epitomized in what came to be known in Spanish as la Movida, an atmosphere of social, sexual and cultural experimentation and liberation. In such a conflictive yet exciting time, the challenge for inquisitive female artists was to find their own space of freedom and self-expression.
Despite their similar backgrounds, Aláez and Vieites have emerged as artists in very different ways. While both developed a feminist consciousness, they have done so following different personal experiences and aspirations that have had their impact on the focus and processes of their art. Aláez transforms her life experience and emotions into a variety of artistic forms, often with herself as protagonist, involving video, sound, photography, installation and multi-media sculpture. Vieites takes an explicitly feminist and conceptual approach to visual culture, predominantly through drawing and screen-printing. She is the co-founder of the Basque feminist artist group Erreakzioa-Reacción, together with Estibaliz Sádaba.
Today, both Aláez and Vieites are established as key figures in the contemporary art scene of the Basque Country and Spain, and increasingly also internationally. Based in Bilbao, where she was born in 1964, Aláez is currently represented by the galleries Moisés Pérez de Albéniz in Madrid and Leila Heller in New York City. Recent international solo shows include Goodbye Horses at the National Museum of Oslo, Sound Recording Room at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin, and Beauty Cabinet Prototype at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. In 2007, she was featured in the exhibition Unknowns at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao as one of the notable artists to define the art scene in the Basque Country. In 2013, she received the prestigious Basque art prize Gure Artea. As for Vieites, recent solo exhibitions include “Fundido Encadenado” at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla y Leon (MUSAC) in 2012, and “Tableau Vivant” at the National Museum Art Center Reina Sofia in Madrid, 2013. Born near San Sebastian, in 1967, she is currently based in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, and also teaches in the faculties of fine art of the universities of Cuenca and Salamanca.
http://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/nature-and-culture/11/3/nature-and-culture.11.issue-3.xml
By Zoe Bray | 09 May 2012
Political conflict in the Basque Country has entered a new phase. In the past year, a reshuffling of political power in Spain has brought left-wing Basque nationalists to office in some major Basque cities and at the provincial level in Gipuzkoa, while ensconcing their ideological opponents, the conservative Popular Party (PP), in government at the national level in Madrid. Meanwhile, the announcement by the separatist extremist organization ETA in October that it was laying down its arms has raised hopes for an end to decades of secessionist violence.
But tough challenges have yet to be resolved. As long as opposing factions remain entrenched in past antagonisms, the Basque Country will remain stuck at a crossroads. The main political parties must come to grips with thorny outstanding issues and reach a settlement, or else continue a standoff with all the attendant risks of institutional paralysis, social and economic stagnation and, at worst, a possible return to the terrorism that has poisoned life for inhabitants of the region and other parts of Spain and France for more than 50 years."
Aláez and Vieites came of age during a turbulent period for Euskadi. During the 1980s, Spain was making its first steps as a democratic state, after more than 30 years of military dictatorship under General Francisco Franco. Euskadi was granted regional autonomy, but political grievances remained: ETA, the violent left-wing Basque nationalist group, was pursuing its struggle for Basque independence, in a clash with Spanish authorities that brought destruction and bloodshed. At the same time, both Spain and Euskadi were undergoing social and cultural change, epitomized in what came to be known in Spanish as la Movida, an atmosphere of social, sexual and cultural experimentation and liberation. In such a conflictive yet exciting time, the challenge for inquisitive female artists was to find their own space of freedom and self-expression.
Despite their similar backgrounds, Aláez and Vieites have emerged as artists in very different ways. While both developed a feminist consciousness, they have done so following different personal experiences and aspirations that have had their impact on the focus and processes of their art. Aláez transforms her life experience and emotions into a variety of artistic forms, often with herself as protagonist, involving video, sound, photography, installation and multi-media sculpture. Vieites takes an explicitly feminist and conceptual approach to visual culture, predominantly through drawing and screen-printing. She is the co-founder of the Basque feminist artist group Erreakzioa-Reacción, together with Estibaliz Sádaba.
Today, both Aláez and Vieites are established as key figures in the contemporary art scene of the Basque Country and Spain, and increasingly also internationally. Based in Bilbao, where she was born in 1964, Aláez is currently represented by the galleries Moisés Pérez de Albéniz in Madrid and Leila Heller in New York City. Recent international solo shows include Goodbye Horses at the National Museum of Oslo, Sound Recording Room at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin, and Beauty Cabinet Prototype at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. In 2007, she was featured in the exhibition Unknowns at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao as one of the notable artists to define the art scene in the Basque Country. In 2013, she received the prestigious Basque art prize Gure Artea. As for Vieites, recent solo exhibitions include “Fundido Encadenado” at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla y Leon (MUSAC) in 2012, and “Tableau Vivant” at the National Museum Art Center Reina Sofia in Madrid, 2013. Born near San Sebastian, in 1967, she is currently based in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, and also teaches in the faculties of fine art of the universities of Cuenca and Salamanca.
http://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/nature-and-culture/11/3/nature-and-culture.11.issue-3.xml
By Zoe Bray | 09 May 2012
Political conflict in the Basque Country has entered a new phase. In the past year, a reshuffling of political power in Spain has brought left-wing Basque nationalists to office in some major Basque cities and at the provincial level in Gipuzkoa, while ensconcing their ideological opponents, the conservative Popular Party (PP), in government at the national level in Madrid. Meanwhile, the announcement by the separatist extremist organization ETA in October that it was laying down its arms has raised hopes for an end to decades of secessionist violence.
But tough challenges have yet to be resolved. As long as opposing factions remain entrenched in past antagonisms, the Basque Country will remain stuck at a crossroads. The main political parties must come to grips with thorny outstanding issues and reach a settlement, or else continue a standoff with all the attendant risks of institutional paralysis, social and economic stagnation and, at worst, a possible return to the terrorism that has poisoned life for inhabitants of the region and other parts of Spain and France for more than 50 years."