José Antonio Olarte (Haro, 1958)
A self-taught artist, he is known for his perseverance, hard work, passion for learning and commitment to his work, particularly sculpture, which has made it possible for him to produce paintings and sculptures in a range of formats and materials (steel, bronze and wood), crafted in a restrained, synthetic language.
For Olarte, architecture has been and is a source of an ongoing language: compositions of ellipses, curves, striking a balance between different geometric and organic forms. He tries to avoid using lines and angles in his work because of their rigidity. The existence of endless potential shapes (lines and angles) allows him to discover a “gesture” he can tap into to create his art as it evolves and changes over time.
For their symbolism, some of his most significant work includes “Naves de Paso”, (Passenger Ships), Western entrance gate to the city of Logroño; “364 +1” an installation created for the 11111 Exhibition at the Brescia Musei in Italy; “Espacio compartido” (Shared Space) at the Solar de Febrer; “Topografía de un día gris” (Topography of a Grey Day), “En busca de un sueño” (In Search of a Dream), installation on the Camino de Santiago; “Reflexión 40756” sculpture on the Camino de Santiago, “42,195”, “Sueño de Ícaro” (Icarus’ Dream) for the company MASA, “Paseo por la vida” (A Walk Through Life) and the series of wrought iron sculptures called “Sombras” (Shadows) and “Ciclos”(Cycles).
He has been exhibiting his work in Spain and abroad since 1996.
