The Big Draw Festival 2021: Make the Change was another roaring success for Big Draw Organisers across the globe, bringing people - young and old - back to the drawing board for another year! Now that most of our Festival organisers are kicking their feet up and reflecting over their events' successes, we wanted to catch up with a few of our Sponsor Partners to hear all about what they got up to...

Hauser & Wirth have been loyal Big Draw Organisers for many years now, and this is the second year that we’ve had them on board as Sponsor Partners. Last year we had the pleasure of speaking with Debbie from Hauser & Wirth Somerset - this year we’re thrilled to be catching up with Nausica from Chillida Leku!

Interview: Matilda Barratt in conversation with Nausica Sanchez.

Hi Nausica! Thanks so much for chatting with us today. For those of our readers who aren’t familiar, could you start by telling us a little bit about Hauser & Wirth?

Hauser & Wirth was founded in 1992 in Zurich by Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth and Ursula Hauser, who were joined in 2000 by Partner and President Marc Payot. A family business with a global outlook, Hauser & Wirth has expanded over the past 30 years to include outposts in Hong Kong, London, New York, Los Angeles, Somerset, Menorca, Monaco, Zurich, Gstaad, and St. Moritz. The gallery represents over 90 artists and estates who have been instrumental in shaping its identity over the past quarter century, and who are the inspiration for Hauser & Wirth’s diverse range of activities that engage with art, education, conservation and sustainability.

And we’d love to hear more about Chillida Leku!

Chillida Leku is a unique museum and sculpture park, created by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, one of the most important artists of the 20th century. The museum is just outside the city of San Sebastian and it is itself a great work of art. Nature and art naturally come together in the space. The sculptures are integrated into the landscape as though they had always been part of it. In the garden, beech, oak and magnolia trees live alongside the monumental steel and granite sculptures, situated in a perfect dialogue with their surroundings.

Chillida Leku Museum Archive

What about yourself? What is your role within the organisation?

Since 2019, I’ve been responsible for Education and Research at the museum. I oversee and develop the educational programmes and cultural events for a range of audiences, including adults, schools and families. 

How have the past 18 months been for Chillida Leku, and Hauser & Wirth as a whole? What are some of the challenges that you have faced and overcome during the pandemic?

It has been, as for everyone, a complicated time and the situation has been a real challenge, but it has also made us realise that art is more essential than ever, that it has healing and restorative powers, that a connection through art helps alleviate stress and anxiety during these testing periods. In the case of Chillida Leku, we are an open-air space, which has allowed us to continue to welcome visitors to the gallery safely and bring people together. To be close to the sculptures and within nature, as Chillida himself had intended. 

Chillida Leku Museum Archive

What role do you think that art institutions, galleries, museums etc will play in our post-lockdown world?

As I mentioned before, the role of culture today is perhaps more necessary than ever, and museums and galleries play a fundamental role. Art and culture remain very powerful and potent means of communication.

This year’s Big Draw Festival theme is ‘Make the Change’, looking towards a more balanced and sustainable way of living. How does this theme resonate with you and the work that you do at Chillida Leku, and why do you think it’s important?

This crisis has shown us how fragile we are and how changeable life is. And above all we have seen that there is an imbalance in our ecosystems and that it is time to seriously consider what kind of world we have built and where we want to go to fix it before it is too late, and resources run out. 

Could you tell us a bit about what you got up to for this year’s Big Draw Festival? Were there any standout moments for you?

We have united Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Hauser & Wirth Menorca and Chillida Leku, all three galleries that were showing works by Eduardo Chillida, specifically steel sculptures from the series Consejo al espacio [Advice to Space]. They are works that allow us to reflect on place, space and people and we have invited visitors to imagine what their ideal place would be like if they had to build it. We have created an education resource that can be downloaded from our websites. In it, we invite people to observe the work carefully but above all we encourage reflections on what kind of world we want to build.

Chillida Leku Museum Archive. 

Zabalaga Leku. San Sebastian, VEGAP, 2022. With the collaboration of the Estate of Eduardo Chillida and Hauser & Wirth.

Finally, what is it that motivates you to take part in The Big Draw Festival?

It is very exciting to be part of a global event and to celebrate drawing on an international level, to think that many people are drawing and reflecting on the same topic is very positive and motivating. Chillida Leku took part in the Big Draw for the first-time last year and it was extremely rewarding, we received an abundance of positive responses from the public and this has encouraged us to take part this year too.

Thank you, Nausica!

Download and explore Chillida’s outdoor sculptures with the drawing activities here.