Sculptor. Born in San Sebastián in 1960. She graduated in Fine Arts from the University of the Basque Country, where she has taught since 1986. Belonging to the same generation as Juan Luis Moraza, María Luisa Fernández, and Txomin Badiola, Elena Mendizabal initially engaged with conceptual art, progressively moving closer to the sphere of Jorge Oteiza, which led her back toward materiality, constructivism, and metaphorical and narrative concerns. Her works are associated with the New Basque Sculpture movement alongside Pello Irazu and the aforementioned artists.
She freely employs the juxtaposition of elements such as iron, wood, electric light, and color, creating object-based forms that shed the fear of traditional sculpture, positioning themselves on walls as if they were paintings, while simultaneously recreating an evocative and poetic world that does not hesitate to resort to kitsch or to draw from everyday life.
She exhibited under the title Las manos quietas, compréndelo (“Still Hands, Understand It”) in San Sebastián in July 1985 at the Aula de Cultura of the Caja de Ahorros Municipal. The newspaper Deia commented (through Sáenz de Gorbea) as follows:
“The new work reveals itself through a renewed interest in matter, ranging from delight in the surface of textures to diverse encounters: lead with polyester, or polyester with iron, previously nuanced with pigments or iron filings. The forms refer us to various motifs: heads, anthropomorphic capitals, chairs, digging tools, etc., presenting this heterogeneous display of the possibilities of materials. Alongside the massive and rounded presence, new angularities emerge through the ambiguity of these elementary forms rich in accents that rival the abundance of objects produced by consumer society, becoming captivatingly present.”
Other solo exhibitions include those held at the Casa de Cultura of the Basauri Town Hall (1986); Galería Berini, Barcelona (1990); Galería Vanguardia, Bilbao (1990, 1993, 1995); the exhibition Convocatoria para visiones at Sala Rekalde, Bilbao (1993); P de perfección (imposibol) at the Museum of Art and History of Durango (2003); El año del dragón y otras obras at UPV-EHU in Leioa (2003); and Hembra: escultura at Galería Juan Lumbreras, Bilbao (2007).
She has also shown her work in numerous group exhibitions. Notable examples include Arteder’82 in Bilbao (1982); Poesía visual in Cuenca (1983); Una corbata para el domingo at CAM Bilbao (1985); Bizkaiko Artea (1985, 1987, 1989, 1991); Elena Mendizabal, Alberto Oyarzabal: escultures recents at the Fundació Caixa de Pensions, Barcelona (1989); Gure Artea (1989, 1994); Un placer at Arteleku, San Sebastián (1991); Vitoria-Arte-Gasteiz at Centro Cultural Montehermoso, Vitoria-Gasteiz (1993–1995); IV Mostra Unión Fenosa in A Coruña (1995); ARCO’96 in Madrid; El puñalito y un puñao, touring throughout Bizkaia (1996); Ricas y famosas in Santillana del Mar, Palma de Mallorca, and Pamplona (1996–1999); Imagen en serie: carteles originales at Centro Cívico La Bolsa, Bilbao (1997); Colectiva in Gallarta (2000); Ibilarte’02 and Ibilarte’03 in Bilbao; 25 años, 25 obras at Artium, Vitoria-Gasteiz (2005); Incógnitas: cartografías del arte contemporáneo at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (2007); ZINEBI 49: EBA-Creaciones multidisciplinares en el País Vasco at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (2007); Oteiza: memoria y apropiaciones at the Ciudadela de Pamplona (2008); and Materialización at Fundación Laxeiro, Vigo (2011).