The International Festival of Relational Art (FIAR) will celebrate its second edition from 12 to 15 November in Vitoria-Gasteiz and other locations within the Álava region. Following a successful inaugural event aimed at introducing relational art, this year's festival returns with an expanded community of artists, venues, organisations, and projects, delving deeper into the potential of art as a space for interaction, participation, and collective creation.
FIAR is based on an artistic practice that prioritises relationships over mere artworks. Attendees are not just passive observers but active participants in experiences that can only fully exist through their involvement. Iara Solano Arana, the festival's artistic director, stated, “In the first edition, we needed to explain what relational art was. This year, we can take a step further: we are not just presenting a festival; we invite you to be part of a growing community.”
New initiatives and discussions
This year's festival will introduce new spaces for reflection, analysis, and sharing of relational practices from various perspectives. Key highlights include the inaugural Relational Aesthetics and Practice Conference, which will feature contributions from aesthetics, curating, anthropology, and performance studies. Additionally, the ConFIARse initiative aims to connect projects from artists and companies in Álava and the Basque Country with international professionals. Another new feature is Tortilla Bueltatu, an informal space for collective reflection on current concerns within the cultural sector.
Sonia Díaz de Corcuera, the Councillor for Culture and Education in Vitoria-Gasteiz, praised FIAR's ability to intertwine artistic creation, citizenship, and urban space. She remarked, “The festival proposes a way of experiencing culture that is closely linked to the identity of Vitoria-Gasteiz: a culture that is accessible, participatory, and capable of generating dialogue among people, spaces, and communities. FIAR transforms the city into a place of experimentation and connection, reminding us that cultural life is built not only from institutions but also from neighbourhoods, relationships, and citizen engagement.”
Diverse programming and community engagement
The festival's programme will feature contributions from artists and cultural agents from Álava, the Basque Country, Spain, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Through a variety of formats, the initiatives will explore themes such as memory, care, civic participation, territory, daily life, climate debate, grief, and community building. Despite the diversity of languages and contexts, all share a common goal of blurring the lines between creator and observer.
Arantxa Ibáñez de Opacua, director of Fundación Vital Fundazioa, emphasised that “FIAR views culture as a tool for social connection and transformation. Its value lies in creating situations where individuals are not just recipients but active participants in a shared experience. Supporting this festival means contributing to a culture that is closer, more permeable, and connected to people's lives, as well as backing those who explore new ways to meet and build community through art.”
Community and sustainability focus
The second edition of FIAR further strengthens its territorial dimension. While a significant portion of the activities will take place in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the festival will also reach Agurain, Elciego, and various rural areas of Álava, establishing connections with diverse cultural, social, and community spaces. Thus, the festival serves as a network collaborating with administrations, entities, independent projects, and cultural agents of various kinds.
Sustainability is also a core aspect of FIAR's vision and development. This year, the festival has established its own Sustainability Commitment, under the theme ‘Our way of inhabiting the festival’, which integrates respect for the environment, the well-being of individuals, economic responsibility, and the value of culture as a space for connection and transformation. This commitment is reflected in the festival's organisation through conscious decisions aimed at reducing its environmental footprint, promoting local economies, and strengthening ties with the territory and its communities.
Ana del Val, the regional deputy for Culture and Sport, noted, “FIAR fits into an open, participatory, and decentralised cultural model that connects contemporary creation with the various realities of the territory. Its ability to build bridges—between Vitoria-Gasteiz and the rest of Álava, between local artists and international professionals, between reflection and practice, and between the cultural sector and citizens—is especially valuable.”
The complete programme, including schedules, venues, details of each proposal, and participation conditions, is available through the festival's official channels.
