MEMENTO | ALAIN URRUTIA

Alain Urrutia’s work (Bilbao, 1981) presents itself as a kind of atlas, a mosaic composed of many small works gathered in a single installation, which takes on different characteristics depending on the exhibition space. Memento aims to be a study on the ‘construction’ of memory through fragments of images, some collected, others painted by the artist himself.

The represented subjects are various and heterogeneous, randomness appearing to be the criterion of selection. However, it is exactly this diversity that allows the creation of narratives that change and generate different stories depending on the visual path the viewer’s eye takes.
An eye, in fact, is the subject depicted in an element of the mosaic, certainly one of those capable of attracting more attention. The path then moves to a feather, a sparrow, a nose and a mouth, the Mona Lisa, faces, profiles, landscapes, chess. Figures of objects belonging to the collective imagination are mixed with memories, elements that belong to a private life dimension.
The pictures are characterized by muted colors and tints on black and white are preferred. They are all presented in golden frames, round or oval: small portholes, little windows that show memories, the shape chosen by the artist for this artwork enhances the singularity of each element of the composition.
Playing a decisive role in this interweaving of narratives is a small mirror, also framed, inserted into the setup: along the path, the viewer’s image is reflected in the mirror and thus, albeit transiently, is incorporated into the mosaic. This gimmick ensures that the reflected person becomes part of the work, activating and perpetuating the process of constructing collective memory.

Memento can be defined as a ‘living’ artwork, an ongoing project: every year the artist adds a piece to trace new stories and show the passage of time. This creates a convergence between collective memory and individual memory that points in a unique direction: Urrutia’s intent does not end in the simple collection of material but pursues an important final goal suggested by the title itself, that of remembering.

Alain Urrutia
Memento, 2021 – ongoing
Oil on linen, wood, mirror, linen, and vintage offset prints. Site-specific dimensions. Installation view at “Basque Artist Program 2015-19”, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (July-September 2022).
© Alain Urrutia, courtesy the artist.

Alain Urrutia, “Memento”, 2021 – ongoing
Oil on linen, wood, mirror, linen, and vintage offset prints. Site-specific dimensions.
Installation view at “Basque Artist Program 2015-19”, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (July-September 2022).
© Alain Urrutia, courtesy the artist.

13/12/2023