To understand the challenges currently facing Basque Street Arts, we need to situate ourselves within the geopolitical context of a historic territory whose identity is rooted in the use of a language: Euskera=Basque.

Euskal Herria (the land of the Basques, that is, the people who speak Basque) comprises seven provinces governed by three administrative regions across two states: Euskadi and Navarre in Spain, and Iparralde (within Aquitaine) in France. In this article, we focus on the street arts of Euskadi, as this is the context closest to us and, therefore, the one we know best.

Euskadi has always had a strong street arts tradition, which originated in village festivals rooted in popular culture, gained ground in the 1970s, in the final years of the dictatorship, with provocative companies taking to the streets, became established in the 1980s and 1990s with the creation of new and diverse theatre companies, and expanded in the 2000s with the growth of other disciplines such as dance and circus.

There are currently around 90 companies from different disciplines staging street performances and at least 20 festivals taking place in public spaces, in addition to the patron saint’s “fiestas” in each village, where street performances are always included in the programme to a greater or lesser extent.

Given its history and growth, we can say that Basque street arts are in good artistic health. However, the constraints imposed by the timetables dictated by institutional funding—which is necessary for survival—and a market that demands products for all audiences, whilst overlooking the fact that the street is a political and communal space, prevent companies from moving forward with experimentation and developing new dramaturgies. In turn, festivals are seeing a reduction in the range of more daring shows on offer – is this a vicious circle?

At an institutional level, there is a commitment from the Basque Government’s Department of Culture, both in substance and in form. Even so, one of our greatest challenges is for institutions to create policies specifically aimed at street arts. Whilst there is funding for programming, there is none for production itself, and companies’ applications for public funds must be processed individually according to their discipline (theatre, circus or dance), competing with the world of indoor productions.

It is worth highlighting the work carried out by the Etxepare Institute in promoting Basque Street Arts abroad, maintaining institutional agreements to ensure their presence in various national (Fira Tarrega, TAC Valladolid…) and international (Sziget, Fest’Arts Libourne…) festivals.

Since 2001, we have had Umore Azoka, organised by Leioa Town Council, which has become a benchmark for the sector as Basque Country’s Street Arts fair/promotion festival. It has evolved into a key hub for networking, showcase and distribution for companies, the local community and organisations that support and sustain the street arts. The vast majority of Basque companies premiere their new projects here, and festival directors come to see them. Even so, we continue to strive to ensure that other cultural professionals who programme street arts also attend, just as they do at Dferia, the Basque fair dedicated to indoor theatre. This does not detract from the value of Umore Azoka, which is already established in Spain and for which we must work alongside institutions to ensure it also establishes itself at a European level.

In 2024, thanks to the support of the Basque Government and spearheaded by Artekale, Open Kale was launched, an umbrella brand encompassing 1 fair and 16 festivals with the aim of creating a network and positioning the Basque Country as a region with a long-standing tradition of high-quality street arts.

In addition to tradition, we have structures that champion the street arts, from the public to the private sector, from creation and distribution to programming. These structures enjoy good communication with one another. We are a sector in harmony, which makes it easier to tackle future challenges such as:

• To strengthen networks and circuits within the street arts sector that provide stability for companies and ensure the long-term presence of productions.
  

• Promote outreach initiatives that complement street performances, to bring the public closer to the arts and strengthen the community.
  

• Include a Street Arts programme at Dantzerti, the Higher School of Drama and Dance, promoting training, research and documentation.
  

• Promote production and performance in Basque as a tool for spreading the language, the use of which in public spaces is declining due to factors of globalisation.
  

• Strengthen relations between the seven provinces of the Basque Country to transcend administrative borders and build our cultural identity through the Basque language.

Street arts in the Basque Country have experienced a huge leap forward in recent decades but, without a doubt, they need to continue to be supported, accompanied and closely analysed to ensure their sustainability and growth as a cultural benchmark. We are currently working towards this goal, with collaboration between all stakeholders in the sector and the creation of networks being the best way to meet this challenge.

See you on the streets!

Photo: El jardin de las delicias

Artekale

Artekale is a non-profit organisation founded in 2004 to enhance, promote, and disseminate Basque Street Arts. It brings together professionals from both the public and private sectors: 73 companies, 14 festivals, 3 distributors and 1 creation space.