IRUTEN HAR NUZU - I AM MAKING WOOL
Laurita Siles
July 23 - September 10, 2022

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE June 27-July 27
ARTIST TALK Saturday, July 16, 7PM
OPENING RECEPTION July 23, 7PM

Artist and researcher Laurita Siles shows concern for the land, from the environmental crisis to the nostalgia provoked by the loss of heritage. She is co-founder of the project Mutur Beltz, an agro-ecological initiative located in Karrantza, Biscay that raises awareness of the endangered Basque black-nosed sheep, or Karrantzako Mutur Beltz, and the diminishing shepherd trade.

Over the course of her one-month artist residency at MING Studios, Siles explored Basque-American identity, the role of the "Basque woman," and Basque agricultural history in Idaho, with a concentration on shepherd and sheep lineages of the region. IRUTEN HAR NUZU - I AM MAKING WOOL is a story based on traces left by America’s Basque shepherds in conjunction with the concept of sovereignty of joy; the exhibition is composed of wool-focused textile, photography, and film works that emulate traditions of representation and rethink the preservation of culture.