Ibiza: Creative Assembly

Exhibitions, galleries, meetings and more, the white island has multiple activities to offer, other than clubbing. It is also a place to rendezvous for contemporary artists.

Imagine yourself in the heart of Mediterranean Sea, under a leaden sun with cool sea ​breeze, that is exactly how you will find yourself in the treasure of Balearic Islands, Ibiza. Today, this island has become a must-see for tourists, and that too in every season. It is a dream holiday destination for most of the voyagers. Although, the development sectors have recently affirmed Ibiza’s association with contemporary art and diversified culture, but it’s story dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century.

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Back then, Ibiza had become the most-welcoming land for a number of eminent figures, artists, intellectuals and art theorists. In the 1930s, historian and German philosopher, Walter Benjamin stayed there for a few years. The place can be found in some of his writings and words. The Dadaist artist and writer, Raoul Hausmann, survived his exile here, when he was forced to leave Nazi Germany. During the same time, the German architect, Erwin Broner also got settled on the island after living in the United States. He was particularly active in the island’s cultural life and left his mark on the place, through his houseworkshop built by the sea, Casa Broner, which today has become an open museum for the public.

Before becoming an el dorado of the hippie movement from the 1960s, the island owed its wave of attractiveness to both political and geographical reasons. Away from the conflicts that were agitating the European continent during the Second World War, Ibiza offered the artists and intellectuals a retreat of peace where they could practice their activities freely, in an ideal and inspiring environment.

MACE, The Contemporary Art Museum

MACE (Musée d’Art Contemporani d’Eivissa) has been the major cultural pilot of the island. It seems to play an important role in the uprise of many. The museum was inaugurated in 1970 and till today, is known to be one of the oldest public museums of contemporary art in Spain. Its initial ambition was two fold, first being the transmission of the cultural heritage provided by the island and its resident artists, secondly highlighting the contemporary creations. It is a location whose identity was readjusted in 2012 after the museum’s expansion work. Elena Ruiz, the director of this destination of cultural interest, explains, that MACE was adopted as the new, better defined and more ambitious impulse after the expansion.

To mark the turning point of the museum, it hosted two major figures of contemporary art at its reopening. The Catalan artist Miquel Barcelò, a native of Majorca and known for his monumental paintings and frescoes, and the British sculptor Barry Flanagan, who spent the last part of his life in Ibiza were the faces of art at the relaunch. After that, the MACE honoured many internationally acclaimed artists such as Cy Twombly, Douglas Gordon and Edmund de Waal.

Galería Parra & Romero

A much calmer setting than that of the big cities make this island the best fit for Parra & Romero gallery. Opened in 2013 in the centre of the island, the galería is located farther from the beaches of the capital. It represents contemporary artists who are part of minimalist and conceptual art. The gallery offers a look at the history of art, practices separated by several decades. According to its director Guillermo Romero, “The former warehouse was chosen to develop large scale projects, making the gallería a meeting point for contemporary art for lovers.” He adds, “The island offers a pleasant context to socialising, with a less sustained pace and more personal meetings between artists, curators, collectors, researchers, etc.” Since the inauguration of his gallery, Guillermo has already seen an evolution with the appearance of new galleries and places dedicated to art, allowing to weave a true artistic network.

From the September 2020 issue of L’Officiel India.