• Title: Wall Drawing 2025.Luanda
• Art and Project: Olabe Basogain
• Collaborators: (see list below)
• Technique: Wool chain stitch, rattail thread, marker, and paint on canvas
• Size:  5 paintings measuring 40 x 40 cm, 4 paintings measuring 70 x 70 cm, and 1 painting measuring 1.5 x 1.5 m
• Date: May 2025
• Place: Second Floor Hall - Vitoria-Gasteiz School of Engineering

The Wall Drawing 2025.Luanda series brings together a collection of linear portraits developed using textile and graphic techniques: marker on fabric, thread embroidery, and crochet chain. Each face—Whisper, Calm, Profile, and Gaze—appears in different material versions and formats, generating a dialogue between stroke, texture, and scale.

The series is part of a search for minimal and introspective expression, where the drawn gesture is transformed into volume and matter. The repetition of each figure in various techniques not only expands the sensorial register but also proposes a poetics of care, craftsmanship, and visual listening.

The name Luanda, an Atlantic African city with a textile and cultural tradition, connects with the restrained power of this series: silent portraits that challenge from within, lending presence to detail, rhythm, and tactile memory.

This series is a combination of the Wall Drawing 2025.Berlin series of five abstract portraits that explore identity through geometry and graphic design. It uses color, symmetry, and fragmentation to reflect on the contemporary self, inspired by conceptual art and modern architecture. The name "Berlin" alludes to the city's cultural legacy and its constant transformation.

The works in Wall Drawing 2025.Luanda and Wall Drawing 2025.Berlin incorporate a variety of graphic and textile techniques that expand the material language of the project. Textile markers on white canvas, acrylic paint, embroidery with synthetic and natural threads, and chain stitch with rattail, a shiny and durable textile cord, have been used. This mix of materials generates visual surfaces with different densities, textures, and levels of detail.

The main support for the pieces is 100% polyester white canvas, an opaque, rigid, and durable fabric commonly used for stretcher bars, awnings, or decoration. Its smooth surface allows for both continuous strokes and more material techniques, offering a stable base for exploring the relationship between line, gesture, and volume. The use of chain stitch and embroidery thread introduces a tactile dimension that connects the stroke with the bodily rhythm of handwork.

The use of canvas as an artistic medium poses functional advantages and certain ethical considerations. Some of the canvas used in this project have sustainability certificates that attest to their responsible production, positioning them as environmentally friendly options in the context of textile art. These recycled polyester or controlled production versions represent a step toward more conscious practices within the university art world.

However, the use of canvas also presents challenges. Its texture can be somewhat rough, and its sometimes industrial appearance does not always favor a refined aesthetic. Furthermore, its color absorption capacity is limited, which can affect the intensity or uniformity of the paint. These technical limitations are also opportunities: they invite us to explore alternative forms of application and combination of materials, allowing the fabric to actively dialogue with the work rather than being a mere passive support.

Along with these two series of works, two large-format works are also on display in the first-floor hall of the School of Engineering: Wall Drawing 2025. Merida and Wall Drawing 2025. Napoli. These collaborative graphic installations are composed of more than 2,000 modules printed on fabric, forming "abstract forests" of chromatic trees. They engage with the architectural and natural environment, expanding the project's visual and material language through the use of textures and the physical presence of the materials.

All these works were created within the framework of the Collaborative STEAM Art for Open Educational Spaces program, promoted with the support of the University Projection call from the Vice-Rector's Office of the Álava Campus. The activity invites the design and creation of cultural banners inspired by our environment and identity, through collaborative processes, shared creativity, and the use of STEAM techniques applied to art. Thus, the work is not only a visual result, but also part of a collective process of exploration, reflection, and creation.

The spirit of Collaborative STEAM Art is that of an evolving university platform, open to new ideas, intergenerational collaboration, and the blending of languages ​​and knowledge. Initiatives like this not only enrich the educational environment but also expand the role of the university as a cultural, social, and transformative agent.

Description:

Face tilted, lips parted. The line flows as if singing inward. An introspective and serene figure..

• Size: 40x40 cm, 70x70 cm
• Technique: Textile marker, Crochet chain

Description:

Closed eyes, a restrained expression. Represents center, breathing, and rest. The line maintains silence. The central face has closed eyes and a calm expression. Represents peace, balance, and inner listening.

• Size: 40x40 cm, 70x70 cm
• Technique: Textile marker, Crochet chain

Description:

A clear, classic profile with a confident line. The posture and updo convey a sense of serene elegance and side-on observation. Side view with updo. Simplicity and elegance in the posture. She seems to be looking at something far away, or remembering it.

• Size: 40x40cm, 70x70cm, 150x150cm
• Technique: Textile marker, textile marker / rattail yarn / crochet chain, crochet chain

Description:

Front, eyes open. This is the figure that questions, that observes. It has an active, direct, and present energy. The most frontal of all, the only one with open eyes looking straight ahead. A figure that directly questions the viewer.

• Size: 40x40cm, 70x70cm

• Technique: Fabric marker, Rattail thread