Kike Ibáñez (1980, San Sebastián, Basque Country) is a designer, illustrator and painter based in Madrid (Spain).

Statement

“My work is the result of exploring personal experiences that have emotionally moved me, whether due to their traumatic or pleasurable nature. My passion for storytelling leads me to transform these experiences into narratives, always focused on resilience and the celebration of life.

Regarding the form, my approach lies in reclaiming the innocent gaze I had in my childhood. I delve into my memories to rediscover what colors, shapes, atmospheres, and sensations captivated me as a child, and then translate those references into the present.

The bicycle, as an object that transcends ages, is a recurring metaphor in my work. It represents the duality between the childhood world, where it is a toy, and the adult world, where it becomes a tool. Similarly, drawing, which was once a game for me, has now become my primary tool for work.

I am inspired by the idea of building from the simplest to the most complex. Therefore, construction with geometric shapes conditions my creative process.

The graphic design of the 80s, along with my work experience as a graphic designer and illustrator, leaves its mark on my pictorial work. The final result usually takes on the appearance of a naïve poster with a retro feel, hiding an assertive and fun narrative.”

Career path

In 2000, he began working in pre-press workshops and advertising agencies, scanning originals, laying out publications, and retouching photos. Starting in 2006, he also began doing graphic design, drawing, and illustration work. Among his employers, Metro newspaper stands out: his infographics and illustrations were regularly featured until the paper shut down in 2009.

He then spent two years designing illustrated books for children and adults at Jaguar Publishing House — his final role as an employee.

In 2012, he published his first illustrated book, and since 2016 he has dedicated himself exclusively to illustration from his studio in Madrid, working with educational and children’s publishers such as Anaya, SM, and Santillana.

His work has been selected for the Catálogo Iberoamericano de Ilustración (Mexico), Ilustrarte – International Illustration Biennial for Children (Portugal), and the Little Hakka International Picture Book exhibition (China). In 2020, his illustrations were featured in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (Italy), and in the same year, he received the Basque Government’s Grant for the Creation of Illustrated Albums.

In July 2023, a two-year artistic process culminated in bIZI. The Beauty of Riding a Bicycle, an exhibition featuring large-format paintings, interactive installations, and objects created or modified by the artist himself, with the goal of celebrating the natural beauty of bicycles and the joy of cycling.

In 2024, he won the International Illustrated Album Contest of the Insular Library of Gran Canaria with his project The Devil on Wheels.

Awards

︎ 2024 – Selected for IberoAmerican Catalogue of Illustration
︎ 2024 – Winner of International Illustrated Album Competition Gran Canaria Island Library
︎ 2020 – Basque Government Grant for Graphic creation of illustrated albums
︎ 2020 – Selected for the Illustrator’s Exhibition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair
︎ 2019 – Awarded with two nominations at Society of Illustrators Awards
︎ 2019 – Awarded with a Special Mention at IberoAmerican Catalog of Illustration
︎ 2018 – Selected for Little Hakka Internacional Picture Book Award
︎ 2018 – Selected for Ilustrarte, the Bienal Internacional de Ilustraçao para a Infância
︎ 2017 – Selected for IberoAmerican Catalogue of Illustration
︎ 2016 – Winner of Lazarillo Prize
︎ 2015 – Winner of International Encontro Ilustração of S. João da Madeira

Solo exhibitions

︎ 2023 – Las bicicletas son para el verano, el otoño, el invierno y la primavera. Spazio Gastón. Bilbao. Spain
︎ 2023 – bIZI. La belleza de montar en bicicleta. Sala Barrainkua. Bilbao. Spain
︎ 2022 – MADRID DOS. Navel Art. Contemporary space. Madrid. Spain

Group exhibitions

︎ 2024 – AVAM 100x100. Galería SAN, Zapadores Ciudad Del Arte, Madrid, Spain
︎ 2022 – En roue libre. Lamis, Sarrant, France
︎ 2022 – Epic cycling. DuoYunXuan Art Center, Shanghai, China
︎ 2021 – Epic cycling. Narimasu Art Gallery – Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
︎ 2021 – Epic cycling. Otani Memorial Art Museum Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
︎ 2021 – Epic cycling. Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum, Nanao, Japan
︎ 2021 – Epic cycling. Art Museum & Library, Ota, Japan
︎ 2021 – Epic cycling.. Yan-Huang Art Museum, Beijing, China
︎ 2020 – MADRID. Mad is Mad Gallery. Madrid. Spain