Kike Ibáñez (1980, San Sebastián, Basque Country) is a visual artist 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 the year 2000 he began to work in pre-press workshops and advertising agencies, scanning originals, layout of publications and photo retouching. Starting in 2006, he also carried out graphic design, drawing and illustration work. Among his employers, the Metro newspaper stands out, where it was common to see infographics and illustrations by Kike Ibáñez, a collaboration that ended in 2009 with the closing of the newspaper. For two years he designs illustrated books for children and adults at the Jaguar publishing house, this would be his last collaboration as an employee.

In 2012 he published his first illustrated book and since 2016 he has dedicated himself exclusively to illustrating from his studio in Madrid for publishers of school books and children's and youth literature (Anaya, SM and Santillana). His illustrations have been selected in the Catálogo Iberoamericano de ilustración (Mexico), in Ilustrarte – Bienal internacional de ilustração para a infância. (Portugal) and in the Little Hakka International Picture Book
(China). In 2020 his work was chosen to be part of the illustration exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (Italy), and that same year he received the Grant for the Creation of Illustrated Albums from the Basque Government.

In July 2023, a two-year artistic process culminates in an exhibition titled bIZI. The beauty of riding a bicycle, an exhibition made up of large-format paintings, interactive installations and objects created or intervened by the artist himself, with the fundamental idea of sharing the natural beauty of the bicycle and the act of using it.

In 2024, he wins the International Illustrated Album Contest of the Insular Library of Gran Canaria with the 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
︎ 2016 – Honorable mention at the 4th Francisco Pino experimental poetry contest
︎ 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