El Camino de la Sirga, the winning work in the fifth competition for an artistic intervention on the Bilbao Maritime Museum esplanade, was presented to the media on 18 May 2017.
The initiative formed part of Bilbao Art District. Organised by the UPV/EHU Faculty of Fine Arts and the museum, it received support from Aurtenetxea Containers, Zabala Arquitectos and Bilbao City Council.
The artists
María de Viana and Xabier Dobaran were both doctoral students in Contemporary Art at UPV/EHU when their proposal was selected.
María de Viana, born in Bilbao in 1981, began an art degree at the Leioa faculty after 15 years working in the performing arts and arts education. Her postgraduate studies in Performing Arts and Sciences continued to explore connections between those disciplines.
Xabier Dobaran, born in Bilbao in 1979, initially trained in drama at Getxo Theatre School before moving into sculpture. He completed an art degree with a sculpture specialisation in 2010–2014, receiving an outstanding graduate award, followed by a master’s degree in Ceramics: Art and Function. Both artists had also participated extensively in group exhibitions.
Three containers and the story of the sirgueras
The proposal used three containers painted black. Two measured 3 × 2.5 × 2.5 metres and carried slightly larger-than-life white figures of three women tow haulers, known as sirgueras. They pulled a heavy load represented by a third container measuring 6 × 2.5 × 2.5 metres. Red tow ropes emphasised the connection between the figures and their work.
The project followed the artists’ 2016 proposal ZIRGA, which received a runner-up award. Their aim was to recognise Bilbao’s workers, particularly the women who performed this arduous work in the late nineteenth century. In early 2017, Bilbao City Council renamed the Olabeaga quay Muelle Sirgueras.
By depicting individual women pulling together, the artists connected collective effort with the growth of the city.
The 2017 competition
The Faculty of Fine Arts opened the call in March to its undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. The selected proposal received €1,000, with two runner-up awards of €250 each. Its presentation formed part of the Bilbao Art District programme organised by the city council.
