An artist from Navarra who works in installation, photography and film (with existing materials or techniques involving industrial processes), setting out to consider the collective construction of the region. In recent projects like Muscle Memory (2019) and Half Wet (in progress) he reflects on anthropic dynamics and the mineral matter from which they come. Faced with the question “Does the world need this work of art?”, the answer will be no. Guided by the principle of belonging, Irijalba’s work tries to act in a way that is sensitive to the context in which it exists. In projects like Skins (2015) and Pannotia (2016-in progress) he uses geology to analyse the politics of capital-centred replication and discourses.
He has won grants including Mondriaan Fonds Bewezen Talent 2022, Shifting Foundation SF 2015 and Marcelino Botín 2007/08, among other accolades. Irijalba has recently exhibited at international venues including the Shanghai Biennial 2021, CAB Art Center Brussels, Guangzhou Triennale 2017, MUMA in Melbourne, Australia, and the Lower Manhattan City Council in New York. His work is to be found in international collections like the Sammlung Wemhoener Foundation in Germany, the Taviloglu Art Collection in Istanbul and in Spanish collections like the Reina Sofia and the Patio Herreriano.
