ONDARROA RESIDENCY Basque Country
The Story
1. How did you end up in Ondarroa?
I was invited to take part in the residency, I think because my practice felt like a natural fit. Most of the murals I’ve painted over the past decade have been informed by local history, with a particular leaning towards maritime folklore and working-class heritage—subjects that are very close to my heart.
2. What did you do during the artist residency?
The first week was about absorbing as much information and culture as possible. I had never experienced anywhere quite like Ondarroa—it is completely unique. Speaking with local people and learning about their ancestral roots, traditions, beliefs and struggles was especially significant, alongside experiencing a small slice of everyday life in the town.
Everything relates back to the sea. Everything.
Ondarroa’s whaling history and present-day fishing industry remain at the heart of the town. The past and present are passionately entangled, creating an emotionally charged sense of identity expressed through heritage, art, food, sport, music and politics.
Research & Community
3. Is it important that Lian is an artist herself when running this project?
Yes—but it is about more than Lian being an artist. She is a respected member of this close-knit community and understands the place with her heart.
Through careful curation and consideration, she has brought a great deal of happiness to the residents of the housing estate where the murals are painted. Running a project like this isn’t easy. It requires an enormous amount of trust, sensitivity and commitment.
4. How is this project different from other festivals you have attended?
Some festivals primarily celebrate the work of the muralist, with little attention paid to the needs of the community or the character of the surrounding area. You might be invited because you paint in a recognisable signature style, regardless of whether that work has any relationship with the people or place. It becomes a celebration of street art or muralism as a genre.
Don’t get me wrong—there is a place for that within the scene, and something undeniably punk about doing exactly what you want as an artist.
But giant murals are still relatively new here, and Ondarroa opens its arms to the artists it invites. The residency gives you such an abundance of inspiration that it would feel fucking rude—and frankly bizarre—to override all of that simply for the sake of ego painting.
5. Tell us more about the mural you created.
The people, the land and the sea are all connected.
The Basque people have had to fight to protect their language, culture and identity through generations of suppression. This piece is ultimately about the importance of cultural preservation. The beauty of cultural diversity should never be overlooked, particularly as we drift towards increasingly homogeneous, gentrified cities and continue to demolish, sanitise or rewrite the past.
The mural’s submerged stone head sits beneath Ondarroa’s iconic cliffs. The whale carved into its surface was adapted from an existing stone carving found at the town’s historic trading port. There is also a reference to Ondarroa’s prestigious women’s rowing team, which connects directly to the town’s maritime and whaling heritage.
I developed the colour palette in response to the beautiful work of celebrated Ondarroa painter José María Arizmendiarrieta Beristain. The mural also includes a gender-fluid symbol, acknowledging the town’s visible solidarity with trans and LGBTQIA+ people. Following the tragic loss of Ekai, a young trans resident, the community came together to demand change. Trans and LGBTQIA+ flags, murals and graffiti can now be seen throughout the town.
The people of Ondarroa are intrinsically connected to their story. I hope that story continues to live through these murals and is carried forward for generations to come.
This will always be their land.
7. What was your most memorable moment?
This is difficult because there were so many.
On the final night of my stay, I experienced some incredible post-punk bands followed by San Juan Eguna. The celebration has roots in ancient solstice rituals, during which fires were lit to cleanse the old and ward off harmful spirits. The tradition was later absorbed into the Catholic celebration of St John.
People carrying burning torches descended from the mountain into the town, where bonfires had been lit throughout the streets. It was incredibly moving—an encounter with something that felt like ancient purification magic.
