La Villa Basque, Vernon, California, 2004

Two-channel video installation. 16mm film transferred to video, color, sound, 30' loop and 5' loop.
Variable dimensions

Adrià Julià’s film La Villa Basque depicts a restaurant of the same name in Vernon, California, a tiny community just five miles east of downtown Los Angeles, which was co-founded by a French Basque immigrant in 1905. An homage to the town founder’s ethnic roots, the restaurant is a Basque mirage and an imagined memorial to the family that is still controlling the community.

In his film, Julià examines the restaurant’s elaborate, colorful, and outdated décor, customs, and activities. The piece is a metaphor for memory as much as it is a tangible example of the American Dream.

For more information: Artists Space, New York, USA

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