2026.02.27
2026.05.09
Opening February 27 6:00 pm
Warehouse
CarrerasMugica is pleased to present, from February 27th to May 9th, 2026 "Herramientas previas (Pre-tools)", an exhibition by Xabier Salaberria. The artist will present his artwork and sculptures in the main hall of the gallery
→ Xabier SalaberriaHerramientas previas (Pre-tools)
Case 1
Series of 5 pieces (Allen).
Hexagonal-section steel bar, bent at 90°, on magnetised wall
Sequence of 4 models, dimensions variable.
Allen keys awaiting some form of response which is now reproduced on the wall.
The hexagonal shape of the nuts responds to a search for balance between manoeuvrability and mechanical strength. These are the main reasons. Ease of use in confined spaces: because it has six sides, it only needs to be turned 60 degrees for the key to engage again with the next flat face. A square nut requires a 90-degree turn, making work in tight spaces almost impossible. If it had more than six sides (for instance, an octagon), the faces would be so small that the tool could easily slip under pressure. Movement, barely begun, revolves around its starting point. The hexagon is the limit at which stability can be maintained, as long as the operator remains focused on the gestures of the task. Grip and torque. The hexagonal design offers multiple points of contact and an excellent distribution of force, enabling high torque to be applied without the tool slipping or damaging the edges (what is known as “rounding” the nut). Between the square and the circle,the hexagonal form.
Case 2
Untitled
Various types of wood and steel
230 x 80 x 74 cm.
The prestige of applications imposes a limit on the world of needs.
Case 3
Disolver la escultura (Dissolving [the] Sculpture)
Corten steel and wood structure
305 x 80 x 160 cm.
The operation of making laws, rules and devices inoperable, in order to enable new possibilities for action beyond the originalfunction. The loss of perspective.
Case 4
Mapa de superficie (Surface Map), partial piece
White polystyrene 270 x 150 x 15 cm and chipboard bench 240 x 55 x 45 cm.
Overall dimensions variable.
Originally a table-tennis table turned into an artefact displayed outside the confines of the protected art space of the exhibition hall. Two sheets of polystyrene, with the regulation size of a table-tennis table, occupy the playing surface. A pristine fragile material is exhibited to the public without instructions.
Case 5
Mapa previsto (Planned Map)
Wood, glass and steel
600 x 300 x 300 cm.
The photographs do not follow a chronological order. Instead, the arrangement is based on the documentation of an event: the dismantling of a sculpture–workshop located on domestic land, following a complaint that claimed that the construction wasillegal. The sequence brings together visual documentation and official reports.
Case 6
La arquitectura es una invención del Estado (Architecture Is an Invention of the State)
The artist Jimmie Durham once said that settlements emerged when we stopped being nomadic and that they brought with themforms of permanent architecture like castles and fortresses. The new infrastructure demanded that all human activities, whether intellectual or practical, be directed towards it. What makes its signature legible is labour: chairs are spies.
Case 7
Línea de inestabilidad (Line of Instability)
Stone, wood and plaster
Dimensions variable.
A number of objects and raw materials are camouflaged aroundthe outside of the house, partly abandoned. On several occasions, during days spent cleaning and tidying up this outdoor space, they were set aside from others that ended up in a skip. Other similar materials disappeared. As a result of this permanency, they eventually ended up in the exhibition space. Objects with no fixed category or function that were left for years in a state of waiting and which, now, in their new arrangement, speak of dynamics and movements associated with trades and machines.
Herramientas previas (Pre-tools)
Case 1
Series of 5 pieces (Allen).
Hexagonal-section steel bar, bent at 90°, on magnetised wall
Sequence of 4 models, dimensions variable.
Allen keys awaiting some form of response which is now reproduced on the wall.
The hexagonal shape of the nuts responds to a search for balance between manoeuvrability and mechanical strength. These are the main reasons. Ease of use in confined spaces: because it has six sides, it only needs to be turned 60 degrees for the key to engage again with the next flat face. A square nut requires a 90-degree turn, making work in tight spaces almost impossible. If it had more than six sides (for instance, an octagon), the faces would be so small that the tool could easily slip under pressure. Movement, barely begun, revolves around its starting point. The hexagon is the limit at which stability can be maintained, as long as the operator remains focused on the gestures of the task. Grip and torque. The hexagonal design offers multiple points of contact and an excellent distribution of force, enabling high torque to be applied without the tool slipping or damaging the edges (what is known as “rounding” the nut). Between the square and the circle,the hexagonal form.
Case 2
Untitled
Various types of wood and steel
230 x 80 x 74 cm.
The prestige of applications imposes a limit on the world of needs.
Case 3
Disolver la escultura (Dissolving [the] Sculpture)
Corten steel and wood structure
305 x 80 x 160 cm.
The operation of making laws, rules and devices inoperable, in order to enable new possibilities for action beyond the originalfunction. The loss of perspective.
Case 4
Mapa de superficie (Surface Map), partial piece
White polystyrene 270 x 150 x 15 cm and chipboard bench 240 x 55 x 45 cm.
Overall dimensions variable.
Originally a table-tennis table turned into an artefact displayed outside the confines of the protected art space of the exhibition hall. Two sheets of polystyrene, with the regulation size of a table-tennis table, occupy the playing surface. A pristine fragile material is exhibited to the public without instructions.
Case 5
Mapa previsto (Planned Map)
Wood, glass and steel
600 x 300 x 300 cm.
The photographs do not follow a chronological order. Instead, the arrangement is based on the documentation of an event: the dismantling of a sculpture–workshop located on domestic land, following a complaint that claimed that the construction wasillegal. The sequence brings together visual documentation and official reports.
Case 6
La arquitectura es una invención del Estado (Architecture Is an Invention of the State)
The artist Jimmie Durham once said that settlements emerged when we stopped being nomadic and that they brought with themforms of permanent architecture like castles and fortresses. The new infrastructure demanded that all human activities, whether intellectual or practical, be directed towards it. What makes its signature legible is labour: chairs are spies.
Case 7
Línea de inestabilidad (Line of Instability)
Stone, wood and plaster
Dimensions variable.
A number of objects and raw materials are camouflaged aroundthe outside of the house, partly abandoned. On several occasions, during days spent cleaning and tidying up this outdoor space, they were set aside from others that ended up in a skip. Other similar materials disappeared. As a result of this permanency, they eventually ended up in the exhibition space. Objects with no fixed category or function that were left for years in a state of waiting and which, now, in their new arrangement, speak of dynamics and movements associated with trades and machines.
