With several leading contemporary art figures launching exhibition spaces on Ibiza, the island is set for an art renaissance. Billionaire founder of Cirque de Soleil, Guy Laliberté, Romero Parra and Lio Malca have all launched new galleries recently and in the past few years with the aim to increase the level of culture on the island. Long known for its vibrant clubbing scene and hippy counterculture, these new initiatives looks set to alter the perception of what is considered to be the most international and cosmopolitan island in Europe.
Laliberté has been working on bringing culture to the island for many years; his latest project, Lune Rouge has launched its inaugural show featuring Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who uses vivid colours and incorporates images from Japanese anime and manga. The exhibition takes place over four different sites: the Lune Rouge space on Calle Alcalde Bartomeu Rosselló Sala displays a 10-metre painting, owned by Laliberté, that examines the death and decay following the 2011 earthquake in Japan. Blum & Poe is presenting 13 new works; 12 tondo paintings and 1 sculpture, the thirteen new works feature in another Laliberté space next door in Art Projects Ibiza (Art Projects Ibiza is currently serving as a temporary platform for Blum & Poe); these paintings, from a series called “Korin” fuse expressionism and manga.
More works at at the Ibiza Gran Hotel and in Heart, the restaurant next to it that was co-created with Ferran Adria complete the exhibition. Here visitors will see a 6-metre oval Buddha and a set of screaming skulls. There are many works from some of the world's leading contemporary artists, at Laliberté's large property near to Cala Colodor, including British artist Sarah Lucas, Ugo Rondinone, Jimmie Durham, Andreas Gursky and Giuseppe Penone. His house made headline news in Spain, following the installation of a dozen gold covered pillars carved by Australian artist Andrew Rogers, which were dubbed a “luxury UFO landing spot”. With the exception of the pillars, which can be seen from the sea, this collection is for invited visitors to his home at this point.
Down a winding road in an old farm building in Santa Gertrudis is the gallery created by Romero Parra of Parra & Romero, which has also revealed plans to open a small-scale sculpture park on the island. This vast indoor space is currently showing work by Swiss artist Philippe Decrauzat, and the Mexican artist Stefan Brüggemann, which has already sold. Lio Malca has opened a 750 square metre space in an old salt warehouse on the South West of the island, called La Nave. The gallery opened at the start of August and is showing a curated exhibition with a monumental sculpture by New York artist, Kaws. The place will also show many pieces from Malca's personal collection including the works of Andy Warhol, George Condo, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Visitors can expect a mix of original contemporary works from these artists, with artworks, sculpture, new media and photography.
Details of the current exhibitions can be found below:
Lune Rouge's Takashi Murakami exhibition runs until 26 September.
click here for more info.
Parra & Romero's Philippe Decrauzat, and Stefan Brüggemann exhibition runs until 24 October.
click here for more info.
La Nave's curated exhibition, featuring Kaws runs until 10 October.
Calle del Canal 2 12-13, 07830 San José
WORDS | Julian Heathcote
PHOTOGRAPHY | Andrea Rossetti
Takashi Murakami
Installation view, 2015
Artwork (C)Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Lune Rouge Ibiza, Ibiza, Spain
Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe
