Gomuta - Yeray Sabandar

In Gomuta, Amsterdam-based photographer Yeray Sabandar returns to the Basque village of Legorreta, where his childhood memories echo against the concrete walls of the frontón—the traditional court where Jai Alai, a once-vibrant sport, clings to life. The photo book is a deeply personal exploration of cultural memory, resilience, and community.  In this book Yeray clearly shows his craft, and his eye for small details, textures and color.

Jai Alai, a traditionally Basque high paced sports game, where you catch a ball with a net , has nearly vanished from modern life. But in Sabandar’s lens, it is brought back to life. He follows a group of teenagers who keep the sport breathing, not out of obligation, but out of love. Their presence: lean, focused, bonded by sweat and shared heritage is beautifully captured and shows Jai Alai as if it has become a small act of resistance against forgetting.

The title Gomuta, meaning "memory" in Basque, is no coincidence. Sabandar isn’t documenting from the outside; he’s preserving something he knows to his own core. The grainy black-and-white images feel less like photographs and more like echoes, moments passed between generations. Each shot is a tribute to persistence: the echo of the pelota against stone, the grip of a cesta, the solemn stillness before movement.

The book itself is crafted with the same sensitivity as its content. With its exposed Swiss binding and textured Munken Kristall cover, it feels honest and unpolished.

At Madera, we were deeply impressed by Gomuta—not just by its visual power, but by its pure feeling of wanting to keep stories alive. With this book Yeray captures both a tradition almost gone by, while also communicating the joy of remembering and play.

You can explore Gomuta through Yeray Sabandar’s website and support his work via independent bookstores and art spaces. We’re proud to share a city with him.