The curators of Carnegie International have been introduced to the Basque art ecosystem by the Etxepare Euskal Institutua

Ryan Inouye and Liz Park, curators of the international contemporary art exhibition Carnegie International, have been visiting the Basque Country to learn first-hand about its projects, players, artistic models and practices.

Carnegie International, an exhibition of great prestige and international impact, is the longest-running exhibition of international art in North America. Organised by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, the 59th edition will begin in May 2026.

Over the course of three days, Inouye and Park have visited museums, studios and art venues in Bilbao, San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz to gain an insight into the Basque art scene. They have met, among others, with those in charge of the Guggenheim Museum, Tabakalera, Artium Museoa, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Azkuna Zentroa, Atoi, Bulegoa z/b and Azala, as well as creators with whom they share artistic interests.

Carnegie International

Carnegie International is the longest-running art exhibition in North America and an event of great prestige and international renown. Organised every four years by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the 59th edition will run from 2 May 2026 to 3 January 2027. It is expected to be the most collaborative and far-reaching to date.

Artists and collaborators from around the world will take part in the 59th Carnegie International, with curators Ryan Inouye and Liz Park overseeing the selection of international artists.

Ryan Inouye has served as curator of international art at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, since 2023. He previously served as senior curator at Sharjah Art Foundation in the United Arab Emirates, where he curated solo and group exhibitions among other projects.

Liz Park is Curator of Contemporary Art at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, where she is currently working on the reinstallation of the museum’s collection. She was most recently curator of exhibitions at the University at Buffalo Art Galleries, State University of New York, and was associate curator of the 2018 Carnegie International.

ZABAL Programme

In 2019, the Etxepare Basque Institute launched ZABAL, a programme aimed at raising the international profile of contemporary Basque art, fostering links between the Basque and international art scenes, and developing partnerships with major international art exhibitions. Etxepare invites curators, art critics and museum directors from around the world to learn about the Basque art scene, encouraging direct contact and collaboration with local artists.

Since then, curators of major international initiatives have had the opportunity to explore the Basque art scene, including those from the São Paulo Biennial (2019 and 2022), Documenta Fifteen (2020), Shanghai Biennial (2021 and 2023), Venice Biennale (2022), Istanbul Biennial (2022), Art Jameel (2022) and the Sydney Biennial (2023).

ZABAL has achieved several notable milestones, including Consonni, the publishing house and independent cultural space, taking part in Documenta Fifteen (2022) and June Crespo’s participation in the Venice Biennale (2022). It is also worth mentioning that the Recently, the ´Portrait of Catalina de Erauso, the Lieutenant Nun’, belonging to the Kutxa Fundazioa collection, was on display at the 2023 São Paulo Biennial, and works by Jorge Oteiza and Itziar Barrio were on display at the 14th Shanghai Biennial. More recently, the Sydney Biennial exhibited an installation by Iratxe Jaio and Klaas van Gorkum.