The display can be visited free of charge until October 28 at the Ensanche Market’s exhibition hall
On Monday in Bilbao, the Athletic Club Foundation unveiled an exhibition of photographs taken by Ernesto Valverde entitled “Beste aldea” (“The other side”). It is a collection of 24 photographs in which the photographer captures fans of the clubs he has coached from an internal perspective. For example, from the bus as the team approaches a stadium. In addition to Athletic fans, the black and white images on display include shots of fans of clubs such as Olympiakos FC and FC Barcelona.
The opening ceremony, held in the exhibition hall at the Ensanche Market, was attended by Valderde, as well as the presidents of Athletic Club and the Foundation, Aitor Elizegi and Juan Carlos Ercoreca; the general director of the Foundation, Jon Vázquez Eguskiza, club directors, Goyo Arbizu, Itziar Villamandos, Tomás Ondarra and Iker Goñi; Councillor for Culture of the Bilbao City Council, Gonzalo Olabarria; representative of BBK, Koldo Bilbao; Ruben Rodríguez and Jon de Lorenzo of the Hotel Melia; and current Athletic Club footballers, Óscar de Marcos and Mikel Balenziaga. Furthermore, Iraia Iturregi, Jon Azpiazu, Galder Reguera and Asier García Fuentes also attended the inauguration.
The collection is on display free of charge until October 28 at the Ensanche Market’s exhibition hall (Plaza del Ensanche 11, Bilbao) during the following opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 20:00 local time. This photographic exhibition is part of the Athletic Club Foundation’s cultural programme, an initiative which seeks to promote the idea that another football is real and that aims to build bridges between the worlds of culture, education and football.
Interview with Ernesto Valverde
To mark the opening of the “Beste aldea” (“The other side”) exhibition, the Athletic Club Foundation has had the opportunity to interview Ernesto Valverde in depth. While talking to Galder Reguera, the Foundation’s Project Manager, Valverde discusses various issues related to his work as a photographer and talks about his two published photography books: “Medio tiempo” (“Half-time”, 2012) and “Frontera” (“Border”, 2021).
