UNTITLED 200X133

A DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT THE CREATION PROCESS OF THE PAINTER JOSE LUIZ ZUMETA

Contact: Moztu filmak | www.moztu.net | info@moztu.net t. 696 080 037 (Iurre) Sonora estudios | www.sonoraestudios.es | info@sonoraestudios.com t. 656 786 077 (Paco) | +34 945 150 011

Introduction Jos Luis Zumeta is an artist from Usurbil (Basque Country). If we ask around about Zumeta in that area, no doubt people will talk about bright colours and abstraction. He is probably the artist who has stayed the closest to his fellow countrymen, sparking an interest in the different generations. Zumeta and his art belong to a collective culture shared by thousands of people. He started many years ago in Grficas Valverde inspired by the bohemian city of Paris in the 1960s, and had countless experiences as a member of the Guipuzcoa artists group Gaur. Zumeta is a reference for a whole generation, one of the first artists to be influenced by modern art in the Basque Country and a pioneer in experimenting with new trends. That is why this documentary aims to contribute to the identity of a specific area: the Basque country. Nowadays, while artists normally perform multidisciplinary works, Zumeta goes on with the same old techniques: oil paintings, serigraphs and drawings. And he stays close to the people precisely through these very works. As a mature artist, Zumeta talks about his current work, his transformation and evolution with serenity and from the same young soul. Always sensitive to his surroundings, Zumeta has managed to create a space for himself in the world of Basque artists. Now he just sticks to what he loves and does best: painting. This documentary is directed by Monika Zumeta, daughter of the artist, and the documentary film director Enara Goikoetxea. The collaboration between these two and a small recording team created an intimate atmosphere in which the artist was able to forget the presence of the cameras and talk about his work process in the most natural way. Untitled, 200x133 is an opportunity to get to know the artist Jos Luis Zumeta in a transparent manner, dispensing with any unnecessary etiquette.

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Synopsis Painter Jos Luis Zumeta works late at night at his studio in Arribe, Navarra, built in an old bus garage. On this occasion, he is working on two paintings of 200 x 133 cm which he will be exhibiting at the old fire station in San Sebastian. The creative process for these paintings forms the backbone of this documentary. For the first time on camera the painter shows the unique and intimate way he works. The film coverage is complete, from the very first steps when the painter puts together his canvas, followed by the creation of the painting and ending with the exhibition of the work. The film respects the artists working hours and habits, and the creative development of the paintings is only interrupted at the artists choosing, either because of his choice of materials or his own creative blockages. During those breaks, in order to understand the artists reality, different questions are put to people close to him; through their answers, we are able to better understand Zumetas peculiarities, the milestones of his artistic career, his evolution and, in conclusion, all the pieces that make him a great artist.

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200x133, THE EXHIBITION During the filming of the documentary, Zumetas paintings were exhibited in the former fire station in San Sebastian, which is the key site for San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016. The philosophy behind San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016 is in complete harmony with both the documentary and the nature of the exhibition. The aim of exhibiting these paintings publicly was to get to know the painters creative process because, in order to understand a work of art, the end result is just as important as understanding the creative process that leads to that result. Zumeta has developed his creative capacity in a variety of ways, and this was present in the elements exhibited together in the exhibition: firstly, the two paintings completed specially for the event and, secondly, the images recorded for the documentary capturing the creative process that gave rise to these works of art. During the exhibition, Zumeta painted a mural with the help of his two grandsons, and the results of the new technique the artist is currently using were also shown: a series of 500 illustrations created on an iPad. The exhibition itself and the publics response are included in the documentary.

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BIOGRAPHY OF JOSE LUIS ZUMETA Jos Luis Zumeta started working as a graphic artist in Grficas Valverde de San Sebastin at the age of 14. During that period he discovered the impressionists Cezanne, Modigliani and Paul Klee, whom he cites as his favourites. His love of painting led him to the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de San Sebastin and the art classes given in the Asociacin de Artistas de Guipzcoa. At the age of 19 he won the National Gold Medal in the renowned Concurso de Pintura Joven in Madrid. In a desire to discover the avant-garde art movement he left for Paris in 1959. That experience was instrumental in his later career as an artist, as he had the chance to be involved in the latest trends in the international avant-garde scene. He discovered abstract painters such as Budd, Appel and Jorn. A year later he returned to the Basque Country and settled in Fuenterrabia, near San Sebastian, where he started working with the sculptor Remigio Mendiburu and took part in his first joint exhibition in San Sebastian. Another year later he had his first individual exhibition in the Sala Municipal de Arte de San Sebastin and later in the Castillo Carlos V de Hondarribia. Between 1962 and 1963 he lived in Stockholm and London. Zumetas early artistic phases, in the 1960s, are linked to informalism and American abstract expressionism in a vibrantly coloured Cubist space. He experimented with types of pictorial relief, using polyester, aluminium, rubber, etc. In 1965 he helped to found the Gaur alongside Jorge Oteiza, Eduardo Chillida, Remigio Mendiburu, Nestor Basterretxea, Rafael Ruiz Balerdi, Amable Arias and Sistiaga. During Francos dictatorship, this group was born out of a desire to resume a dialogue and relationship with the international avant-garde and, in many artistic aspects, it eventually became a pioneer and international point of reference for the Basque art movement at the time. Untitled, 200x133 | www.facebook.com/IzenikgabeZumeta | http://izenikgabe.com 4

In 1967 he won first prize in the Gran Premio de Pintura Vasca competition with his painting Homenaje al Gernika de Picasso [Homage to Picassos Gernika]. In 1970, he took part in a joint exhibition in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico, as well as the joint collection Pintores Jvenes Espaoles in New York that same year. Between 1973 and 1974 he painted two large-scale ceramic murals in Usurbil and Pasajes, near San Sebastian. One year later he took part in two individual exhibitions at the Galera Eder-Arte in Vitoria, and the Galera Mikeldi in Bilbao. In 1981 he exhibited work in the Bilbao Museo de Bellas Artes and was featured in the Arteder 81 contemporary art show. His later years were very productive both in terms of paintings and exhibitions, and this can be seen from his individual exhibitions at the Galera Alga de San Sebastin and the Centro de Arte Osuna de La Laguna in Tenerife. One year later, he had two further exhibitions at the Volksbank Gallerie in Biberank, Germany, and the exhibition space of the Caja Provincial de Guipzcoa bank. In 1986 he was featured in two exhibitions organised by the Basque Government, and one year later, continuing his teaching work, he gave a painting course at the Arteleku centre in San Sebastian. During the 1990s he had exhibitions in a number of different museums and galleries, including the Galera Windsor in Bilbao, the Museo San Telmo, Galera Altxerri, Garca Castan and La Brocha. Jos Luis Zumeta is considered to be one of the artists that best represent the Basque Country of the post-war period. His works can be found in major museums both in the Basque Country (Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao, Museo San Telmo in San Sebastian and Artium in Vitoria), and abroad (Museo de la Concordia in Santiago de Chile).

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EXHIBITIONS (2013) 200x133 Fire station, main space to be used for San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016. (2012) Pabelln de Mixtos de la Ciudadela de Pamplona. (2011) Exhibition in Artium, Vitoria. (2010) Bodega Portia, Gumiel de Izn (Burgos). (2009) With his daughter published a book containing texts written by psychiatric patients in Arrasate-Mondragn, illustrated with 35 serigraphs. This book was presented in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao and was exhibited during the summer of 2009. (2008) Galera Kur, San Sebastian. (2007) Galera Ekain, San Sebastian. Galera Arteko, San Sebastian. (2006) The Unknown Masterpiece. Artium, Centro-Museo Vasco de Arte Contemporneo, Vitoria. (2005) Fundacin BBK, Bilbao. (2004-05) Erandio market, Erandio (Biscay). (2004) Expo 3+4, Biarritz. (2003) Sala Kubo, San Sebastian. (2002) Sainte Eugnie church crypt, Biarritz. Exposition Atlantique. Epelde & Mardaras Gallery, Biarritz. Haim Chanin Fine Arts, New York. (2000) Depsito Franco Uribitarte, Bilbao. San Martn market, San Sebastian. (1999) The Hangar, Evanton, Scotland. (1998) Galera Altxerri, San Sebastian. (1997) Arco, Arte Contemporneo en Espaa, Madrid. (1995) Galera Altxerri, San Sebastian. (1994) Museo de Arte e Historia, Centro San Agustn, Durango. (1992) Museo San Telmo, San Sebastian. (1990) Retrospectiva. Museo de Bellas Artes, Vitoria. (1989) Tribute to the victims of Franquism. Madrid, Seville and Valencia. Untitled, 200x133 | www.facebook.com/IzenikgabeZumeta | http://izenikgabe.com 6

Retrospective. Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao. (1986) Moderne Baskische Kunst, Frankfurt. Moderne Baskische Kunst, Cologne. (1985) Palacio de Vstago, Saragossa. Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias, Oviedo. Bonnat Museum, Bayonne. Museo San Telmo, San Sebastian. (1984) La Ciudadela, Pamplona. Galera Palau, Valencia. Galera Perspectives 56, Bayonne. (1983) Volsbank Gallery, Biberach, Germany. (1982) Inter-Art Galerie, Union Freischaffender Knstler und Kunsfreunde, Stuttgart. Arteder 82, Bilbao. Artistas Vascos: entre el realismo y la figuracin, 1970-1982. Museo Provincial de Pars. Centro de Arte Osuna, La Laguna, Tenerife. Museo de San Telmo, San Sebastian. (1981) Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao. Arteder 81, Bilbao. (1980) Fundacin Joan Mir, Barcelona. (1979) Erakusketa 79, Palacio Velzquez, Madrid. (1978) Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao. La Ciudadela, Pamplona. Galera Juana Mord, Madrid. Euskadi en la pintura, Art Centrum, Prague. (1976) Euskal Erakusketa 76-Art Bask 76, Barcelona. (1975) Fundacin Joan Mir, Barcelona. (1974-73) Mural plaza de Usurbil (Guipuzcoa). (1971) Ateneo de Madrid, Madrid. Galera Durn, Madrid. (1970) Pitura y Escultura Contempornea Vasca. Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico. Jvenes Pintores Espaoles, New York. (1968) Primer Saln de Escultura Contempornea, Barcelona. (1966-65) Galera Barandiaran, San Sebastian. Untitled, 200x133 | www.facebook.com/IzenikgabeZumeta | http://izenikgabe.com 7

Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao. Sala Amrica, Vitoria. (1961) Salas municipales de arte, San Sebastian. Castillo de Carlos V, Fuenterrabia (Guipuzcoa).

He is a painter who really appeals to other artists because he is so natural, he has no tricks or ruses. His painting is totally direct. Gonzalo Jaregui Freedom is key, because Zumeta has reached the point where he has nothing to prove to anyone. Maria Jos Aranzasti Of all the painters I know, he feels the greatest love for what he does. Jos Luis Merino

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A WORD FROM THE DIRECTORS Monika Zumeta co-director The smell of paint takes me back to my childhood. Our house smelled of paint and there was always mayhem. I remember the constant stream of painters, sculptors and actors coming in and out of the house. For me, as a child, that world was full of magic and fun, and was also very enriching. My father showed us his passion for drawing and painting through small gestures that were part of our everyday world. Once, he invited home the music band Orquestra Mondragn; he painted all our faces and then we went out to party in the village. Another time, he painted my whole leg; I was all happy and put on a miniskirt to go to school. I remember how people stopped me in surprise on the way there. My father drew all the time. If we travelled to a foreign country and none of us could speak the language, he would draw a chicken to order it! It was completely normal for me to get home and find him painting. That was his job. I used to tell him about my day, but it never occurred to me to stay and watch him paint. Many years passed before I actually realized I had never seen my father doing a painting. The creative process, in any art form, seems to me the most important aspect, which is why I decided to structure the documentary around that concept. On the one hand, I have been able to personally enjoy my fathers work through this film and, on the other hand, I think the legacy it leaves will last forever. I saw the proof of this when, during the exhibition we organized as a part of the documentary, a woman came up to me and said: Youre Zumetas daughter, arent you? I just want to thank you for sharing this treasure with us. As his daughter, the question I asked myself was, Who is Zumeta, the painter? This project has given me the chance to discover aspects of my father of which I had been unaware. The result has been most enlightening; I have felt very comfortable working Untitled, 200x133 | www.facebook.com/IzenikgabeZumeta | http://izenikgabe.com 9

with him. The whole team has respected his time, his moments and his methodology, and he has, in the same manner, respected ours. Enara Goikoetxea co-director I knew that being able to record Jos Luis Zumeta while he painted would be very interesting and would also teach us a lot about the process of painting. Nevertheless, I was very surprised when I found myself behaving like a child, wanting to put my hands and fingers in the paint and start drawing shapes. I was not the only one who unexpectedly felt taken back to their childhood; several members of the recording team felt like that too. As time went by, we all found ourselves a little hypnotized, trapped by the artists process. We witnessed the same phenomenon at the 200x133 exhibition. The visitors who came to watch Zumeta paint live, both children and adults, felt a mixture of astonishment and admiration. They were surprised by the painters speed, the layers he used and the shapes that slowly appeared on the empty canvas. Surprisingly, people sat down time and again to watch the creative process in the two videos that we edited using the footage we recorded for the documentary. The time passed and they stayed seated. It is unusual to see how the painting process captures the audience over and over again. Without doubt, this project is one I will remember most fondly.

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