Darío Urzay
Bilbao 1958

Darío Urzay graduated in Fine Arts from the University of the Basque Country, where he then lectured from 1983 to 1987. He subsequently lived and worked in London and New York before returning to Bilbao in the late 1990s. In 1983 he won the Basque Government's Gure Artea Award and in 2005 the National Award for Graphic Arts, to mention just two of his many accolades throughout his career.

Urzay is quoted as saying that 'art must operate in an open, non-exclusive world; a world of changes and continuous symbioses, where there is feedback between personal poetry and observations, resulting in new forms of knowledge and communication'. His output over the course of almost 40 years uses abstraction as a way of tackling the complex reality that surrounds us. Exhaustive analyses of the techniques used in constructing his images (ranging from the exploration of the most traditional painting procedures to resources such as photography and digital imaging) has led to Darío Urzay's work being described by critics as 'alchemy'. It comprises a blend of such widely differing fields of reference as geography, biology, chemistry, computer programming and applied iconography. Solo exhibitions of his work include shows at the Maior Gallery in Palma (2015), the Juan Silió Gallery in Santander (2014), the Pilar Serra Gallery in Madrid (2011 & 2014) and the ICO Museum, also in Madrid (2009). He has also taken part in several group exhibitions, including events at the Cibeles Centre in Madrid (2015), the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (2014), Es Baluards in Palma (2014), the Patio Herreriano Museum in Valladolid (2014) and the Reina Sofía in Madrid (2010).

Beatriz Herráez