There seems to be a new art fair popping up every other month, from smaller entries like Future Fair in New York to ART SG in Singapore. Last year, Contemporary Art Now (CAN) in Ibiza was initiated to celebrate the island’s rich cultural history, by emphasizing contemporary artists and galleries that capture the laidback Mediterranean spirit.
Madrileño Sergio Sancho founded the event to fill the void of an international art fair on the island, which for many, is largely known today for its boozy nightlife, but which has actually been a haven for artists, writers and thinkers of all backgrounds dating all the way back to the Phoenicians. Housed at Recinto Ferial (FECOEV), the inaugural edition produced extraordinary results, selling 80 percent of the art last year.
While the fair features a number of art historical genres, such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Surrealism and Pop Art, the organizers make it clear that CAN is very much focused on the present. “At CAN we are convinced that there is only one thing more current than today – now,” wrote a release by the fair.
The second CAN art fair kicked off yesterday and boasts 38 galleries from around the world, including L21, The Hole, Allouche Benias, Over the Influence, Stems Gallery and Ruttkowski;68. For this year’s OFF PROGRAM, CAN will spotlight local Balearic artists, including Ela Fidalgo, Bel Fullana, Julià Panadès and Jesús de Miguel.
For those looking to attend, the fair will be open to the public until July 16. Please visit CAN for more information on the full list of artists, galleries and programming. Meanwhile, check out some of our must-see booths below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Ojiri Gallery
Courtesy of the artist and Ojiri Gallery
East London’s Ojiri Gallery will present a selection of artists who reflect on the transformation of figurative art today. From Nigel Howlett’s introspective characters and the exaggerated compositions of Baldur Helgason to more serene paintings by So Youn Lee and the charming sculptures of Taylor Lee. Running concurrent across each artist’s approach is a meditation on the human condition.
L21 Gallery
Courtesy of L21 Gallery
Located just a few hours ferry ride from Mallorca, L21 Gallery will bring a special project dubbed After Party. Curated by French artist Fabio Viscogliosi, and characteristic of L21’s eccentric presentations, the booth will be filled with a vibrant interior design showcasing the work of Nat Meade, Geran Knol, Mira Makai, Ben Edmunds, Simon Demeuter, Pixy Liao, Edu Carrillo, Jordi Ribes, Fátima de Juan, Hunter Potter, Marc Badia, Gao Hang, Daisy Dodd-Noble and Richard Woods.
Fátima de Juan, who recently chatted with us for Hypeart Visits, has been one to watch within the contemporary scene for her larger-than-life characters which celebrate female empowerment, while challenging norms associated to gender and identity. Juxtaposed against the furniture of Richard Woods, the grotesque beings of Mira Makai or the humurous retro-futuristic portraits of Gao Hang, a psychedelic trip begins to emerge, as the layered texutres and vibrant colors blend in with one another from painting to sculpture.
Stems Gallery
Courtesy of Stems Gallery
Founded in 2015, Stems Gallery has become a force within the European art scene — hosting a number of memorable exhibitions over the past few years, including shows by Tyrrell Winston, Marcus Brutus, Emma Webster and Nick Doyle. For CAN 2023, the Brussels-based gallery will showcase works by Léo Luccioni, Laure Mary-Couégnias, Luisi Mera, Aryo Toh Djojo and Tony Toscani.
French-born, Brussels-based artist Léo Luccioni is difficult to categorize as he straddles between mediums — always injecting a humorous and poppy aesthetic that probes into neoliberalism and the adverse effects of consumerism. Fellow French artist Laure Mary-Couégnias blends Surrealism, Pop Art and Naive Art to create strange scenes riddled with symbolic iconography that seeks to investigate the place humans have within nature. Alternatively, the paintings of Los Angeles native Aryo Toh Djojo take on an almost photographic quality, not in terms of the life-like detail, but more like glimpses stored within one’s memory.
The Hole
Courtesy of the artist and The Hole
Having recently opened a new location in LA, The Hole will present a group exhibition of work by Bob Baxter, Felix Treadwell, Heesoo Kim, Jonny Niesche, Katia Lifshin, Kelly Shami, KPE Innocent, Larissa De Jesus, Matthew Hansel, Misaki Kawai, Pedro Pedro, and Viltė Fuller.
Standout works include Jonny Niesche’s large gradient series of paintings, entitled Sunset Synonyms, which draw in the eye from a distance and are aesthetically similar to the famous first image of a black hole that was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) back in 2017. Additional highlights include the childlike compositions of Felix Treadwell, which often feature various pop cultural figures, such as the Xenomorph from Alien or a blue iteration of The Good Dinosaur, against a raw canvas background that contain an almost mythic quality — like that of the cave paintings of our ancient ancestors.
CAN Art Fair Ibiza
Carrer Sant Antoni,
07800 Eivissa, Illes Balears, Spain
