Hauser & Wirth has unveiled the latest location in its global lineup of galleries, and it is arguably its most beautiful. Housed on Menorca’s Illa del Rei Island at an 18th century naval hospital, the 16,145-square-foot space was recently renovated by Argentinian architect Luis Laplace with a surrounding garden helmed by Dutch designer, Piet Oudolf. Speaking on the outdoor space, visitors will first have to take a 15-minute ferry from Menorca’s capital Mahón, through a sculptural garden featuring works by Paul McCarthy, Hans Josephsohn, Stefan Brüggemann, and Eduardo Chillida.
To inaugurate the new location, the gallery is hosting two separate exhibitions. The first, a group show called After the Mediterranean, which will showcase works by local artists, including Ghanaian artist Adjoa Armah, archaeologist Irene Riudavets, and geologist Lorena Rasero, amongst others. Curated by writer and art researcher Oriol Fontdevila, the exhibition seeks to address the social and ecological concerns impacting the island — from the climate emergency to post-colonial legacies.
Next door, American artist Christina Quarles will present her latest series of drawings and paintings in her first solo exhibition in Spain, entitled Come In From An Endless Place. As a queer, cis-gendered woman born to a Black father and a white mother, Quarles creates rhythmic compositions where shape-shifting human bodies collide into one another as a way to comment on the boundaries of identity. “Fixed categories of identity can be used to marginalize but, paradoxically, can be used by the marginalized to gain visibility and political power,” said the artist in a statement. “This paradox is the central focus of my practice.”
The Menorca location will also boast a restaurant called Cantina, helmed by Luis Anglés. For those looking to visit, After the Mediterranean and Come In From An Endless Place will be on view until October 29.
Elsewhere in Europe, Geoff McFetridge explores the ineffable in new V1 exhibition.
Hauser & Wirth
Diseminado Illa del Rei
S/N, 07700, Balearic Islands, Spain
