ADDICTED TO ART archivos - Concept Hotel Group

Art Paradiso: Light, art, action

By Laura Martínez

Iñaki Domingo and Alejandro Marote are the duo behind Altura Projects, the Madrid studio in charge of the Paradiso Art Hotel’s art department. They are responsible for the artistic initiatives that are held each season, and supervise the rotating exhibitions that are held in the hotel lobby.

In Iñaki’s words, the studio’s main commitment is to offer quality experiences in the field of contemporary visual culture. What seduced them to the idea of being in charge of Paradiso’s artistic output was to disseminate the work of current artists and offer guests a genuine and artistic experience, as well as taking art beyond its natural boundaries, something they consider to be of great interest and importance.

When I ask them about their connection with Ana Dimitrova, director of the Adda Gallery (situated inside the hotel with the other gallery in Paris) they said that it came about in a very organic way: “We met Ana through our beloved Diana Kunst (the artist who was also part of our team when we began) and we immediately realised that both Diana, and the type of artists she works with, would fit in well at Paradiso Art hotel. We had a chat with her and she liked the idea so much that she agreed to take charge of the gallery” recalls Iñaki

They have already worked together for three years, bringing something new and exciting to both the guests and the island itself, as it is a place where culture and tourism don’t always go hand in hand.

As for taking art out of its comfort zone, these two visual art lovers are clear: “Art should not be restricted to museums, exhibition halls and fairs. We are experienced in consulting, curating and management in the world of contemporary art, and we can now add that we are bringing art to Ibiza’s well- known tourist areas.

The works of art exhibited in a hotel should be objects of interest in themselves rather than being part of the decoration, and it is important that the zones in which they are exhibited also maintain their own personality. In Paradiso, each area dedicated to art is independent but connected to the rest of the installations. Paradiso’s lobby will feature the works of Misterpiro, PeBe Estudio and Marcos Torres this season.

With regards to this season’s art initiatives, the guys from Art Paradiso have got some big surprises. “In addition to the three new exhibitions that will be held at Adda Gallery Ibiza and the Zero Suite micro-residency programme, where we will host 6 new artists, we will also launch the Paradiso Challenge, a proposal connected with the social networks that will invite our followers to participate creatively in a challenge that offers the possibility of winning two nights’ stay in the hotel’s Zero Suite. We have organised two workshops that will take place weekly throughout the season. The photography workshop gives our guests the opportunity to learn all the secrets behind taking great selfies with their mobile. The painting workshop will teach guests all they need to know about body painting techniques.” Art has never been so attractive.

Art in the lobby

Paradiso Art Hotel has become the meeting point for the island’s most inquisitive art lovers, so this season we will bring you the best in graphic and urban art for your visual pleasure. Step right up and see for yourselves!.

Mr. Piro
Misterpiro is one of Spain’s most outstanding urban artists. Andrés Sánchez-Ocaña, aka Misterpiro, defines himself as: “water, colour and above all, impulse.” His phenomenal artworks have attracted increasing numbers of brands into his multi-coloured universe, which has already seen him undertake customised collaborations with Nike and Levi’s. For his exhibition in Paradiso’s lobby, Misterpiro has been inspired
by Ibiza’s landscapes and its colours, from its deep blue waters to the chromatic variety of its incomparable sunsets..

PeBe Studio
Pablo Benito is the founder of PeBe Studio, based in Barcelona. The creative freedom that abounds in his projects has led him to create visual imagery that is instantly identifiable. His passion for architecture and interior design is reflected in his prints of some of Barcelona’s most mythical buildings, including Casa Batlló and La Pedrera. PeBe will bring his ‘Horizons’ series to Paradiso this summer. It is inspired by horizons and the “beginning and end” concept, mixing colour, geometry and dreamlike, surreal spaces together.

Marcos Torres
Marcos Torres is an Ibizan graphic artist with an extensive career in the art world, at both national and international level. His singular style is characterised through its strong bond with music, film and pop mythology, and the passion that he transmits to the viewer through a powerful and sensual aesthetic. Marcos’s artworks will close the exhibition season in Paradiso’s lobby, giving us the chance to see his instantly recognisable and characteristic visual narrative, dominated by a cult of colour that creates a visual impact.

Adda Gallery Ibiza: abducted by urban art

By Pablo Sierra

There are calls that change your life. When Anna Dimitrova, gallery owner and cultural manager, picked up the phone, she did not know that a few months later she would be setting up an art gallery in Ibiza.
When she hung up the phone, this native of Bulgaria, educated in Morocco, and who currently commutes between Barcelona and Paris, was almost instantly convinced to take up the challenge posed to her: to be the artistic heart of Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel.

–Two years ago Diana Kunst called me and said: “Would you like to open a gallery in Ibiza?” The idea tempted me a lot and, at that moment, I saw everything clearly. I visited the building, which in the future would be the hotel, and I found it impossible not to fall in love with Paradiso.

This is a great example of who Dimitrova is: she isn’t a person to hide her emotions and she doesn’t mind doing drastic turns if passion is behind the wheel. Until 2007 she was dedicated to the world of advertising and communication. From then on she applied her knowledge to branding, marketing and investing her time in what she really loved; art. She especially loves urban art and she said: “There has been an explosion in street art, a real boom, and it is increasingly recognised by a larger audience. It has created authentic fans who follow their favourite artists around the world, and know everything about them. People are very motivated to see this type of art exhibition”. She currently curates artists such as: Escif, Ebok, Levalet, Spok, Smithe, Nuria Mora and Sebas Velasco.

“Desde pequeña me obsesionan la cultura y el arte. Cuando crecí tuve cabeza para darme cuenta de que era bastante mejor organizando que dibujando”, dice Dimitrova. Nobulo y Adda son el fruto de su esfuerzo y de su gusto por la belleza transgresora. A través de sus dos proyectos produce exposiciones por todos los rincones del planeta. En las dos ciudades donde duerme la mayor parte de las noches dirige y gestiona, respectivamente, sendos espacios expositivos: Montana Gallery, en Barcelona, y Adda&Taxie, en París.

“Ever since I was young I have been obsessed with culture and art. When I grew up I realised that I was much better at organising than at drawing, “says Dimitrova. Nobulo and Adda are the fruit of her efforts, as well as her taste for transgressive beauty. She organises exhibitions in all corners of the world through these two projects. Anna currently directs and manages exhibitions in the two cities where she spends the majority of her time, precisely in Montana Gallery in Barcelona, and Adda & Taxie in Paris.

In 2018 Paradiso became a part of her working life, as the place where she has launched Adda Gallery Ibiza: “The risk of filling a hotel with art is that the works end up being simple decoration. This does not happen in Paradiso for a very simple reason: the gallery is independent from the hotel, and although it is separate, it is at the same time connected to the rest of the facilities. We nourish each other, but each zone maintains its personality.” For Dimitrova, that fact that each room is dedicated to a different artist, and that the lobby is a place where art experiences occur is something more than the hotel’s hallmark. It is the soul of Paradiso because “works of art transmit the energy and experiences of their creators in the space where they are exposed”.

The coloured pills of the young Catalan graffiti artist Abel Iglesias (in May and June 2019) and the wild fauna that the Madrid muralist Sabek (in July and August 2019) expresses in his art will be the two individual exhibitions hosted at Adda Gallery Ibiza this season. In September and October 2019, the 4th edition of the collective exhibition “O”, will arrive in Paradiso; a visual ode to eroticism and sensuality, where artists such as Apollonia, Saintclair, Mark Bodé, Alphachanneling, Enric Sant and photographer Diana Kunst, Dimitrova’s great friend, will take part. During the summer, Jorge Arévalo’s illustrations, and the suggestive mixture of painting, photography and nudity by Eric Ceccarini, a Belgian artist based in Ibiza, will define the landscape in the Paradiso lobby.

“I love Spain because the urban artists who live in different cities talk and communicate with each other. They are in constantly in contact and carry out common projects that enrich them as creators. This happens less frequently in other countries such as France, for example. Scheduling an exhibition for an artist like Eric [Ceccarini] in the Ibiza gallery is very interesting because then there is a necessary interaction with local art. Since we opened, many artists from the island have passed through Paradiso to introduce themselves and show their work “, says Anna Dimitrova. She continued: “ Me, my Ibicencan gallery and the Paradiso Ibiza were like a UFO, landing in the middle of Cala de Bou. It was something that had never been seen before in this area. I am convinced that the light of the project will also attract the rest of the zone.” It is safe to say that it is already shining brightly.

Addicted to Art: Art Paradiso

Art Paradiso: Light, art, action

Addicted To Art: Adda Gallery Ibiza

Adda Gallery Ibiza: abducted by urban art