Ibon Aranberri, First Winner of the MACBA Foundation Award

The Basque artist, Ibon Aranberri, has been selected as winner of the first edition of the MACBA Foundation Award. The Cabello/Carceller collective, Sandra Gamarra, and David Bestué, have been recognised as finalists.

Aranberri has been awarded for his exhibitions ‘Vista Parcial’ at the Reina Sofía Museum and ‘Entresaka’ at the Artium Museoa. The jury highlighted his ability to transform museum spaces into scenarios of social imagination, as well as the aesthetic coherence that characterises his work.

The jury singled out Cabello/Carceller for their career, with a notable impact in recent years thanks to exhibitions such as ‘Una voz para Erauso. Epílogo para un tiempo trans’ at Azkuna Zentroa and ‘La ocupación at the Museo Patio Herreriano’ (2024). In both cases, their research work expands the historiographies of political-sexual dissidence, connecting narratives and contexts from a contemporary perspective.

Sandra Gamarra stands out for her exploration of artistic and cultural heritage, highlighting the absence of decolonial narratives. Coming from the contexts of painting and art history, her practice integrates disciplines such as sociology, politics, ecology and feminism.

Finally, Bestué stands out for his innovative approach to sculpture, combining traditional techniques with the reuse of objects. His work explores materiality as a physical language and as a bridge between past and present.

This award, celebrating its first edition this year, aims to recognise the excellence of contemporary artists in Spain and Portugal, highlighting their impact on the current art scene.

The MACBA Foundation Award 2024 has been possible thanks to the support of La Roca Village as its official sponsor, Grífols, Fundación Banco Sabadell and Fundación Occident as benefactors, Fundació Sorigué and Fundación Ernesto Ventós as collaborators, and finally the Majestic Spa & Hotel Barcelona, Hotel Alma Barcelona, Vueling and Enate as partners of this edition.