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.
︎ Spanish CV
︎ English CV
Awards
︎ 2024 – Selected for IberoAmerican Catalogue of Illustration︎ 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
︎ 2025 – Madrid en silencio. Touring exhibition through the libraries of the Community of Madrid, Spain︎ 2024 – Madrid en silencio. Touring exhibition through the libraries of the Community of Madrid, Spain
︎ 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
︎ 2025 – MOSS Skate Art. Palo Alto, Barcelona, Spain︎ 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
Written & illustrated books
︎2025 – El diablo sobre ruedas. A buen paso︎2021 – El secreto de Gino Bartali. Bang!
︎2016 – Jasón y los argonautas. Milrazones
Illustrated books
︎2025 – El diablo sobre ruedas. A buen paso︎2025 – El misterioso caso de los anónimos espeluznantes. SM. Jordi Sierra i Fabra
︎2024 – El misterioso caso del extraterrestre verde y bajito. SM. Jordi Sierra i Fabra
︎2023 – Diccionario de ciclismo. Planeta. Juanma Trueba
︎2023 – El misterioso caso del señor barrigón y la dama esquelética. SM. Jordi Sierra i Fabra
︎2023 – Escapistas. La torre de los secretos. Anaya. Ximo Cerdà
︎2022 – El misterioso caso de la desaparición del pastel de chocolate. SM. Jordi Sierra i Fabra
︎2021 – El secreto de Gino Bartali. Bang!
︎2021 – Escapistas. La mansión del horror. Anaya. Ximo Cerdà
︎2020 – Escapistas. Un enigmático anuncio. Anaya. Ximo Cerdà
︎2020 – Escapistas. Campanilla secuestrada. Anaya. Ximo Cerdà
︎2020 – Abuelita Opalina. SM. María Puncel
︎2019 – Los escribidores de cartas. SM. Beatriz Osés
︎2018 – Migue hace un libro. Milrazones. Jesús Ortiz
︎2018 – Les aventures d'un ratolí de biblioteca. Crüilla. Salvador Comelles
︎2017 – Barrios de Colores. Milrazones. Ana González
︎2017 – Filomena Ficalapota. Crüilla. Maite Carranza
︎2016 – Jasón y los argonautas. Milrazones
︎2016 – La cazadora de Indiana Jones. SM. Asun Balzola
︎2016 – Llueve. SM. Paloma Muiña
︎2016 – El baño de Cleopatra. Anaya. Ana Alonso
︎2015 – Cómo hacer trabajos increíbles con internet. Anaya. Ana Alonso
︎2014 – San Jorge y el Dragón. Jaguar. Eva Rodríguez
︎2012 – The Selfish Giant. Buhobooks. Oscar Wilde
Unpublished yet
︎2025 – B is for BICYCLE︎2024 – The Painting ARTIST
︎2024 – Guli´s first birthday
MENTORÍA ILUSTRADA
La mentoría consiste en 3 sesiones de diálogo para ayudarte a iniciar, continuar o finalizar un proyecto personal que requiera imágenes. El proyecto puede ser un texto para ilustrar, una serie de dibujos, una exposición, una marca, un portafolio…
El plan es avanzar más que “dibujar bien”, el dibujo no importa, lo que importa es que puedas expresarte con las herramientas que ya tienes.
Las sesiones son:
¿Tienes una historia y te gustaría ilustrarla?
¿Sabes dibujar aunque te cuesta tomar decisiones y ser constante?
¿Tienes una idea aparcada en el cajón?
Cuéntame.
¿Sabías que Saint-Exupéry (el autor de El Principito) acabó haciendo él los dibujos porque no encontró a un artista que le convenciese? Esos dibujos son ahora de los más icónicos de la literatura.
Si tienes cualquier duda puedes preguntarme sin compromiso:
︎RESUELVE TUS DUDAS︎
La mentoría consiste en 3 sesiones de diálogo para ayudarte a iniciar, continuar o finalizar un proyecto personal que requiera imágenes. El proyecto puede ser un texto para ilustrar, una serie de dibujos, una exposición, una marca, un portafolio…
El plan es avanzar más que “dibujar bien”, el dibujo no importa, lo que importa es que puedas expresarte con las herramientas que ya tienes.
Las sesiones son:
- Tutorías para acompañarte en un proceso concreto.
- Individuales y adaptadas a cada persona y proyecto.
- De una hora cada una. Por videollamada.
- Cada 2 semanas. Hay “deberes” y tendrás esas 2 semanas para completarlos
¿Tienes una historia y te gustaría ilustrarla?
¿Sabes dibujar aunque te cuesta tomar decisiones y ser constante?
¿Tienes una idea aparcada en el cajón?
Cuéntame.
¿Sabías que Saint-Exupéry (el autor de El Principito) acabó haciendo él los dibujos porque no encontró a un artista que le convenciese? Esos dibujos son ahora de los más icónicos de la literatura.
Si tienes cualquier duda puedes preguntarme sin compromiso:
︎RESUELVE TUS DUDAS︎
Este precio incluye las tres sesiones.
Cuando hagas la compra te escribiré lo antes posible para cuadrar fechas, horarios y comenzar la mentoría.
MAKE TOMATOES TASTY AGAIN
This work is part of a serie of posters titled BLACK ON WHITE.
Click here if you want the T–Shirt
Click here if you want the Print
ARTIST IS ALWAYS RIGHT
This work is part of a serie of posters titled BLACK ON WHITE.
Click here if you want the T–Shirt
Click here if you want the Print
TONTO EL QUE NO LEA
This work is part of a serie of posters titled BLACK ON WHITE.
Click here if you want the T–Shirt
Click here if you want the Print
WAKE UP AND CREATE SOMETHING
This work is part of a serie of posters titled BLACK ON WHITE.
Click here if you want the T–Shirt
Click here if you want the Print
WORKING CLASS
This work is part of a serie of posters titled BLACK ON WHITE.
Click here if you want the T–Shirt
Click here if you want the Print
Since 2016, MOSS Deck Art Shows have exhibited in galleries in Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast, Hawaii and Barcelona.
100% of every sale goes to funding construction of MOSS Foundation clean water systems in Eswatini, Africa.
Since 2016 the MOSS Deck Art Show has turned art into clean water - and the MOSS Foundation Africa team have installed life changing permanent clean water supplies:
For: 10,300 people, 8 schools & 4 orphan care points.
With: 77 tanks, 460 taps, 17 dams & 77,900 metres of hand dug trenches.
At 18 locations in Eswatini, Southern East Africa.
This is my contribution to the exhibition that will take place on November 18, 2025 in Palo Alto (Barcelona).
ECOMARCHA DE PRIMAVERA is a route organized by Ecologistas en Acción that combines a love for cycling with ecosocial activism.
In April 2025, over the course of a week, a group of 120 people — of all ages and from various places — cycled nearly 300 km: from the fertile lands of Murcia to the Sierra Espuña mountains, passing through the coast of Mazarrón, Cartagena, Portmán, and finally reaching the Mar Menor. The ride ended in Murcia with a closing dinner featuring traditional dishes from the region.
For this edition, I was commissioned to create the design for the official t-shirt, with the challenge of linking cycling to the local territory and its environmental issues. With the slogan: ¡MAR MENOR VIVO! and the title: ECOMARCHA DE PRIMAVERA 2025.
I designed the lettering and illustrated a curlew, a lemon, and a seahorse on a bicycle — a tribute to the air, land, and sea of Murcia.
