The artist Florentino Aramburu, better known as Detritus, has made his return to the new Arteko Gallery space, located at Dunas Street 1, with a solo exhibition. Always rebellious and protest-driven, Detritus expresses his deep concern for the problems inherent in existence. Across 18 medium and large-format canvases, he depicts the world that causes him pain, a suffering he mitigates by translating it into images.
Detritus burst onto the art scene in the 1980s with his provocative posters, filled with figures and messages, during a period marked by Basque radical rock, the rise of the squatter movement, insubordination, and alternative struggles. His work navigates the space between social abyss and personal unease, positioning itself on the battlefield of those who believe it is essential to reclaim control of images from the media.
“"The theme of my work is resistance to intrinsic and circumstantial discomfort."
This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to view Detritus's work, as it has been many years since he last exhibited a comprehensive collection of his pieces in Donostia. An authentic artist with a distinctive personal imprint, he conveys the reality surrounding us through his paintings, remaining outside of fleeting trends. His works denounce a lived reality that he perceives as cruel, while simultaneously accusing himself of the incoherence of participating in this tragedy.
The exhibition's opening generated significant anticipation. Among the attendees were Frantxis López de Landatxe, former director of Koldo Michelena Kulturenea; the renowned cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe; writer Harkaitz Cano; Bernd Kibbel, director of the Tandem school; Michael Linemann from the San Sebastián-Wiesbaden Twinning Association; Begoña Ameztoy, columnist for El Diario Vasco and writer; Gil Arrocena, journalist and art critic; Marga Soto, painter and owner of Juan Sebastián Bar; and Susana Rezola. Numerous other artists were also present, including Jaime de los Ríos, photographer Idoia Unzurrunzaga, sculptor Baroja Collet, Barbara Stammel, Stephen Web, Joxan Iza, Rafael Satrústegui, Blanca de las Heras, Albert Lekuona, and drummer Iñigo Manterola.
