Artium Álava, Basque Museum of Contemporary art, presents the exhibition Baigorri Wine Cellar. Architecture and Aenology (front gallery, September 25th – November 30th). This exhibition discloses the singular design of the architect Iñaki Aspiazu, and is complemented with a selection of photographs by Aitor Ortiz. The Baigorri wine cellar in Samaniego is mostly built under the ground, just as Artium Museum is, thus being fully integrated in landscape and just insinuating to it by means of a cubic structure made in glass. Once inside, gravity controls activity in the wine cellar while spaciousness and vertigo seize the visitor. Photographs by Aitor Ortiz, one of the young Basque photographers of greater international projection, contributes to highlight the monumentality and singularity of the building. Baigorri Wine Cellar. Architecture and Aenology is the first of a series of exhibitions about singular architectural projects in the area of Rioja Alavesa, that Artium Álava intends to organise. This exhibition has been sponsored by the Provincial Government of Álava and the Department of Agriculture of the Basque Government.

Baigorri wine cellar is the result of the long study and elaboration of the project by both, the wine cellar promoter, Jesús Baigorri, and the architect Iñaki Aspiazu. Gravity is the fundamental element that has determined the architectural disposition of the wine cellar; thus helping to avoid the use of machinery, specially in wine making process. Another main characteristic of the project is the integration of the building in landscape. Mostly built under ground, its architectural design adapts itself to the orography of the land, thus, showing its enormous respect towards landscape.

The entrance to the wine cellar consists of a cubic design made of glass, from which one can see the beautiful and vast extension of vineyards surrounding the cellar. Once inside, the different steps of wine processing are organised at different levels. This disposition, besides being functional, turns out to be enormously didactic for the visitor. The different levels of de cellar are connected to each other by ramps. This design allows space continuity and avoids architectural barriers, thus, permitting the visitor discover the architectural work in full while being able to see the whole winemaking process. The social headquarters of the wine cellar are strategically located next to the stored wine barrels, in a dome ceiling space having within sight the whole spaciousness of the place.

The exhibition presents different drawings of the construction, photographs of the interior by Aitor Ortiz, a scale model of the wine cellar and other materials. All of it permits us discover an architectural design aiming at meeting modern needs of efficiency and rationality in the winemaking process.

Iñaki Aspiazu's project is developed in a context in which wine cellars of different areas of wine production, especially in the area of Denomination of Origin, have been endowed with singular architectural designs. Some examples of this are Bodegas Marques del Riscal, by Frank Ghery, Bodegas Ysius by Santiago Calatrava, Bodegas Chivite by Rafael Moneo, and Bodegas Enate y Alvaro Palacios by Jesús Manzanares.

Iñaki Aspiazu was born in Bergara, in 1955 and carried out his professional work in his studio in Vitoria. The Baigorri wine cellar project is one of his outstanding works, but he has also become popular with projects such as the Law Courts in Vitoria-Gasteiz (1990), the Faculty of Philology, Geography and History in the University of the Basque Country in Álava (1987), and the tower of Bodegas Muga in Haro.

This versatile architect has also achieved numerous urban projects and rehabilitations such as The Municipal Archive in Vitoria-Gasteiz (1986), the Museum of wood in Zegama (2002), and the restoration of two historical granaries in Bergara and Iurreta (1983 and 1986 respectively). Iñaki Aspiazu was also the author of the awarded proposal for the town planning renovation project of the ring road of Vitoria. This project was not finally carried out. He has been awarded twice (1985 and 1989) with the Olaguíbel Award by the COAVN of the delegation in Álava.

Aitor Ortiz, was born in Bilbao in 1971. He is one of the young Basque photographers of greater international projection. He has won the ABC award of Photography in 2002, the Great Award of the XXI Biennial in Alexandria in 2001, and has obtained special mention as the Photographer Revelation in the contest PhotoSpain ‘00. Ortiz is a prestigious architectural photographer of diverse styles. In his most creative period, his works seek decontextualisation, the loss of scale and references, as well as architectural space, breaking down and reconstructing images.

Aitor Ortiz has carried out works such as the images of the book Álava, our heritage, published by the Autonomous Delegation of Álava (2002), or the collection of photographs that covered the construction of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (1995). His work is present in the collections of Artium Álava, Guggenheim Bilbao, IVAN and the International Museum of Electrography in Cuenca, among other exhibition centres. Aitor Ortiz has displayed his work in Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Cologne, China and Alexandria.

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