Herri Argia is a long-term project in which Gartzen explores ‘herri kirolak’, the traditional Basque rural sports. Over five years, he photographed both competitions and portrait sessions, capturing the physical intensity of the athletes and the symbolic presence of the tools—axes, stones, logs, ropes—that define these disciplines.

The work builds a bridge between past and present, revealing how practices once rooted in agricultural labor have evolved into a contemporary cultural expression. Through the faces, bodies, and stories of new generations, women, and athletes from diverse backgrounds, Herri Argia portrays a living heritage sustained by strength, dignity, and collective memory.